Overview

Recess is wholly transformed when Omeed holds up an orange and asks one question: ""What if this were the world?"" Ms. Lee's class had come perilously close to running out of games, but the hunt for the best world gains steam right away. The orange is tasty, but too small to share. A dodgeball world can be punted to outer space by a mean older kid. A maple tree isn't portable enough. Imaginations have never been so alive. But still no perfect world turns up, and the kids' search is leaving a trail of litter and destruction behind them. Maybe there really is only one world that ticks all the boxes, only one world where everyone fits and can get what they need... and maybe it's time to treat it a little better. With a cast of big personalities and a hearty helping of witty banter, If This Were the World reads like the very best recess, with a well-earned nod to our planet and the work of protecting it.

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9798260503812

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Reviews

The subtle message hiding in the creases of this philosophical tale encourages kids to remember and take good care of our actual world. . . ., Ford's art is electric, the colors seeming to vibrate off the characters into the atmosphere. The small speech balloons that appear only add to the charm and humor. A truly original Earth Day book, certain to provoke laughter and discussion. --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Dialogue-driven action from Barr (The Upside Down Hat) successfully captures the spirit of playground politics, while thick chromatic outlining and light shading imbue radiant, rainbow-hued colored-pen and -pencil drawings by Ford (I Love Your Face!) with a boisterousness that aptly conveys the energy of the crowd's exploits. --Publisher's Weekly (starred review) If the message is overt, it's been given an innovative, fresh presentation here: unusually engaging, accessible, and aimed directly at its audience. Ford's cartoony illustrations rock with kinetic energy, and his portrayal of the class both as a collective whole and as distinctive individuals is an estimable accomplishment and spot-on for the book's theme--all kinds of people need to work together to protect our Earth. --The Horn Book (starred review) Lively, cartoonish pen-and-ink drawings in rainbow hues successfully convey the boisterous enthusiasm of the students and their diverse personalities. . . . This enjoyable picture book offers a great conversation starter about cooperative play wrapped in subtle undertones about the importance of taking care of Earth. --School Library Journal The gentle message, wrapped up in freewheeling recess fun, resonates. --Booklist

Author Information

Stephen Barr grew up a few miles from Disneyland in Southern California, and then grew up a lot more when he moved to New York City out of college. A longtime literary agent, he made his picture book debut with The Upside Down Hat, which The New York Times named a best illustrated book of the year. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, son, and daughter. AG Ford is a New York Times bestselling children's book illustrator and recipient of two NAACP Image Awards. Ford has illustrated picture books for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sharon Robinson, Ilyasah Shabazz, Martin Luther King III, Nick Cannon, Jonah Winter, The Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and many others. Raised in Dallas, He now lives in Frisco, Texas with his lovely wife Brandy and their two sons Maddox & Carter.

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