“In Every Life” by Maria Frazee.
Beach Lane Books, New York, 2023, 32 pages, Grades 1-4.
Life is a gift given to us from God. We need to respect life and do everything we can to nurture it in our families and neighbors.
Life is not a time of continual sorrows or joys. It is the time God has given us to support and love each other. Maria Frazee writes and draws about the many sides to life in this outstanding picture book. The writing and the pictures draw us into a deeper understanding of different seasons of life. The name of this beautiful picture book is “In Every Life.”
The story opens with the beginning of life. On a two-page spread, readers are treated to images of families and newborns. Parents and grandparents tenderly hold newborns and put them into cribs. Brothers and sisters gather around a new baby and eagerly want to hold the child.
Following this is a two-page spread of a family looking into a lovely sky with pink-shaded clouds. The clouds race across the heavens, bringing wonder and joy to the family. Next, we are treated to the blessings of people smiling at each other. Children are playing and laughing. Some are enjoying being read to by people in their lives. One woman raises her hands in prayer as she smiles at the falling snow.
In the double-page spread following this, a mother places her child on a path through the woods so she can run into the outstretched arms of her grandfather. The stories continue, one after another. People are blessed by doing, sometimes actions for themselves and at other times, for others.
But as we all know; life is sometimes filled with pain and sadness. The next several spreads show people needing comfort. Frazee has the penetrating insight that even the sorrowful times in our lives can be times of blessing. In fact, she paints people receiving great love in moments of strife. The book continues as people encounter life with its happiness and sorrows, just like our lives.
The writing and drawings of this book are exquisite. Frazee wraps us in her story of life with all of its beauties and difficulties. We see people of all races and nationalities trying to struggle through difficulties while loving others during these hard times. Frazee draws people in wheelchairs bringing happiness and smiles to those around them.
This is simply a book that will enchant readers. The writing and drawing are so well incorporated that the story of life is wonderfully told. This book can be read individually or shared with those we love. It was just published and has already received the highest praise. After you read it, you will know why. Outstanding!
