Look and Be Grateful - by Tomie dePaola (Board Book)

About the Book

A young boy awakens with the dawn, opens his eyes and looks closely at his world. He admires all that surrounds him, large and small. Simply and beautifully told, and illustrated with jewel-like paintings, this meditative and joyful board book encourages gratitude. Full color.

Book Synopsis

Celebrate the joy in things large and small in this meditative board book, sized just right for small hands.

"Today is today, and it is a gift," writes Tomie dePaola, best-selling author-illustrator of Quiet, in this simple ode to gratitude and mindfulness. Simple and sweet, Look and Be Grateful is a reminder to treat each day as the blessing it is.

Now available in sturdy board-book format, this edition is ideal for easter baskets. Illustrated with Tomie's signature soft lines and gentle colors, a young boy awakens with the dawn, opens his eyes and looks closely at his world. He admires all that surrounds him, large and small, from the radiant sun to a tiny, but exquisite, ladybug.

Gentle and lyrical, Look and Be Grateful is a simple expression of gratitude, ideal to share with the youngest readers and adults alike.

Review Quotes

* "The beloved, Wilder Award-winning illustrator spins a simple paean to gratitude. DePaola has been moving toward an ever more simple and radiant aesthetic, as his pictures become increasingly iconic and his colors, as on this beautiful tea-stained paper, become as translucent as glass. . . . he pares down his hymn of joy to the single moment, to the day we have been given. Even toddlers will recognize the sun, the ladybug, the flowers, and the oranges, and they will comprehend the mostly one-syllable, hand-lettered words and the open-gestured hands in many skin tones. The repetition of those open hands, the image of a white dove, and the girl and boy on the cover echo the repeated words of gratitude. The blue and gold endpapers are filled with stars. Thank you, Tomie."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"With very simple wording, accompanied by dePaola's signature illustrations, this text reminds young children that every day is a gift for which we should be grateful. . . . The uncluttered pages suit the minimal text and make the book accessible to very young children. A gentle message for families, church preschools, and other early childhood programs."--School Library Journal

"Rather than go the route of many before him in this genre and provide a catalogue of all the things that readers should be thankful for, dePaola takes a different tack: he urges his audience to be fully present in and grateful for the world around them . . . With its naive beauty and unaffected solemnity, it s a little book that may quickly become a treasured keepsake."--Publishers Weekly

"With all the picture books designed for just-before sleep . . . why not one to bring you awake? DePaola's rouse from sleep is a gentle one, asking readers to 'open your eyes, and look.' The text remains quiet, moving from its opening imploration to a suggested response: 'Be grateful, for everything you see.' The brief handwritten text on peachy-beige paper is accompanied by the simplest of images: a child, a flower or two, one of the artist's signature doves."--The Horn Book

About the Author

Tomie dePaola is the beloved Caldecott Honor- and Newbery Honor-winning author and/or illustrator of close to 250 books, including Strega Nona and Quiet. Tomie was born in Connecticut and grew up there with his parents, brother, and two sisters. He loved reading and books from an early age and knew, when he was four, that he wanted to write and illustrate stories when he grew up. Tomie is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award from the American Library Association for his "substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children," the Smithson Medal from the Smithsonian Institution, the Regina Medal from the Catholic Library Association, and the Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota for his "singular attainment in children's literature." He was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in illustration and has received the New Hampshire's Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure.