Belonging

I have been working on my collection of wordless picture books for my homeschool co-op. Jeannie Baker's books got great reviews, so I bought several. BUT Home and Belonging are the exact same book, published under different titles. I didn't discover this until after the return window had closed. So a warning to anyone else who is clicking titles and adding them to their cart! If you get Home you do NOT need to also get Belonging.

I think it is worth reading the author's note at the end of the book first to get a sense of what she was trying to achieve with this book. Sure, one can draw many messages from the illustrations presented on each page and also a sense of time. However, the idea about native plants and animals being the central theme is heavily dependent on what perspective one applies to each illustration (belonging and urban architecture, belonging and social isolation etc.)

This book is so beautifully illustrated. It follows, in pictures, the view from a window and shows how we as humans can change our environments to hopefully be a more beautiful and nature friendly zones. A great book to encourage children to think about our imprints on the world of today and what we can do to change it for the better. Highly recommended.

窓から見える景色と同様に、窓際に置かれたものが半跏しています。子供の成長を感じながら時の流れを観て楽しむことができます。[ＨＯＭＥ]と同じ絵本ですね。なぜタイトルが変わってのでしょうか？ご存知の方おしえてください

Like all Jeannie Baker's work, this book is beautiful The illustrations are so rich. I find it a versatile teaching research and have used it in a lot of different contexts. I have used it with children and with adults. I have used it with fluent, first language speakers and those who are new to English. This book is great for developing vocabulary and initiating discussions around community.

この本は信じがたいほど良い。というレビューを書こうとしているんだけど、その前にちょっと。同じ作者の『HOME』という本を同時に注文して、届いて開けてびっくりぎょうてん。なんと中身が同じ、タイトルだけが違う、という二冊だったのだ！！それで高めの『Belonging』を残すことに決定。というのは内容は全く同じなんだけど、紙の質がこっちの方が少し良いから。（あと、『HOME』の表紙には薄いカバーが付いていて、その絵も『Belonging』とは少し異なっています。要注意！）ま、殆ど一緒ですけどね。さてそれで内容紹介。Jeannie Bakerと言えば『WINDOWS』が有名、一番よく知られているんではないかと思うんですが、今回の本はそれを更にバージョンアップ、スキルアップしたような出来。素晴らしくいいのだ！『WINDOWS』とは逆で、殺風景な町の風景がだんだん緑を取り戻していく、という話。そして前回は男の子でしたが今回は女の子が出てきて、その子が赤ちゃんの時の窓辺の風景が一ページ目、どんどん成長していって最後には彼女がお母さんとなって年老いた両親と庭で談笑しているページが置かれます。本当に見事です。女の子の家の庭と、ご近所の風景に一年ごとに緑が添えられ、古びた建物は塗り替えられ、人々は魂を取り戻していく。セリフは一つもないのに長大な映画を鑑賞したかのような興奮を味わうことが出来ますよ。超、おすすめ。

Brilliant to use in school even up to age 12. Excellent for topics on community, the environment and maybe even cross-curricular for looking at measures of time. Cleverly illustrated so that no words are needed to tell the story, so can be used for whole class topics when there are a range of reading abilities in the class. A book you can return to again and again and use cross-curricularly.