The History of We

It is difficult to find the words for the scope of this title. It is indeed a history lesson, a call to reflect on where we all began and to understand. But beyond this it is a celebration perhaps even a proclamation of our shared ancestry and, by putting that at the heart of the way we live now, it could never be more timely.

‘What does the beginning look like?’ we are asked on the initial pages – which is perhaps as good a place as any to engage young readers. What do they believe, what do they know, what would they like to discover? From this opening proposition we are launched headlong into a world of discovery – we consider early mark making, the sounds that became words, the crafts that evolved and those that nature simply provided for us to marvel at. We are reminded that so many of those traditions which were birthed so long ago are indeed still the way we choose to express ourselves: in dance, or song, or of course in painting…which is never far from your mind as you marvel at each exquisitely illustrated page.

We are reminded too, not just of the celebrations that life affords, but of the struggles faced. How to become architects against the weather, how to work with the land to ensure our survival, and how to reach out beyond one land and to begin to explore connections across the seas.

This is a title which is as much about roots as it is about a sense of global community. It manages to be celebratory and yet quiet, pushing forwards and yet rooted deeply in the past, and for this reason it is a title which is hard to define – other than to know that it will certainly leave a mark on each reader and afford discussion of a rare and special kind.