All In A Day

All in a Day

Mitsumasa Anno 1986

illustrations by:

Raymond Briggs, Ron Brooks, Eric Carle, Gian Calvi, Zhu Chengliang

Leo and Diane Dillon, Akiko Hayashi, Nicolai Ye. Popov 

This interesting book had 9 artists from around the world each illustrate a single day.  While it's December 31st at 6pm in the USA (Eric Carle has shown a boy watching tv),  in Japan it's 9am on January 1st and little Aki is getting her hair fixed.

The text can be confusing at times, but it's a neat idea to see what children around the world are doing at exactly the same time.  There's an explanation about time zones and climate and geography in the back.  Biographical information about the artists is also included and each one has a tie to the country they were illustrating.

Peace is the theme of this book, and the principal message that the authors hope young readers will find in Citi is that, despite many apparent differences, we are more like than unlike our neighbors all around the world, and we share their hopes for a peaceful and happy future for all who live on this, our mutual and only earth.