From the creators of You Are Stardust and Wild Ideas comes a new picture book that explores how humans are inextricably connected to nature. This book draws examples from the clouds and the cosmos, the seafloor and the surface of our skin, to show how we are never alone: we are always surrounded and supported by nature. Whether it’s gravity holding us tight; our lungs breathing oxygen synthesized by plants; the countless microorganisms that build our immunity; or the whales whose waste fertilizes the plankton that feed the fish we eat: nature touches every aspect of how we live.

Using lyrical text grounded in current science alongside detailed diorama art, this informational picture book presents the idea that we thrive through connections to the land and sea and sky, and togetherness is key to nature. It encourages inquiry-based learning, inviting readers to wonder, ask questions, observe the natural world, and engage with big ideas. An author’s note at the end offers more insight into the research behind the text.

ELIN KELSEY, PhD, is an award-winning author and a leading spokesperson for hope and the environment. In 2014, she co-created #OceanOptimism, a twitter campaign to crowd-source and share ocean conservation successes which has reached 90 million users to date. She frequently works on projects with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Stanford University and the University of Victoria and is passionate about engaging kids in hopeful, science-based, environmental solutions. See more at www.elinkelseyandcompany.com.

Elin Kelsey's profile page

Soyeon Kim is a Korean-born artist and educator currently living in Toronto. She is a graduate of the Visual Arts and Education programs at York University and has participated in artist residences at the Hermitage (St. Petersburg, Russia), Spark Box Studios (Picton, Ontario) and the Toronto Public Library. She has illustrated a number of children's picture books, including Once Upon an Hour, You Are Stardust, Wild Ideas, Is This Panama?, Sukaq and the Raven, You Are Never Alone and A Last Goodbye. Soyeon won the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award in 2013.

 

Soyeon Kim's profile page

• Commended, Top 10 picture books of the year
• Commended, Best Books for Kids and Teens
• Commended, Best Spiritual Books of the Year
• Commended, 100 books that shaped 2019

"This book is as reassuring as it is gorgeous."

Romper

"The connections that are part of all life on this planet are carefully explained and presented, allowing young readers a chance to think on the way life works and how nature impacts every single thing we do."

Sal's Fiction Addiction

"[You Are Never Alone] celebrates the beauty of the world and reminds young readers that not only are they protected by a 'generous world of green' but that they can make a difference by how they interact with that world."

The Globe and Mail

"You Are Never Alone would make a good addition to a primary unit on ecology or an Earth Day storytime."

Canadian Review of Materials

“A captivating array of mixed-media artwork illustrates the often intangible emotional and physical bonds that exist throughout nature.”

Foreword Reviews - STARRED REVIEW

"it is all elegantly presented in soaring, vivid language...breathtakingly beautiful."

Kirkus Reviews - STARRED REVIEW

“[This] book could serve as a springboard for further scientific investigation.”

Booklist

"Leads readers down a gentle path of reminders that we are not alone — from the clouds in the sky, to the beetles in the ground, to the whales in the ocean."

Green Teacher