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In Every Life
A simple and profound meditation on the many wonders of life from two-time Caldecott Honor recipient Marla Frazee.
In every life, there is love and loss, hope and joy, wonder and mystery. With glowing art and spare, powerful text, Caldecott Honor–winning creator Marla Frazee celebrates the moments, feelings, and experiences, both big and small, that make up a life.
In every life, there is love and loss, hope and joy, wonder and mystery. With glowing art and spare, powerful text, Caldecott Honor–winning creator Marla Frazee celebrates the moments, feelings, and experiences, both big and small, that make up a life.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published February 7, 2023
About the author
Marla Frazee
68 books179 followersMarla Frazee was awarded a Caldecott Honor for All the World and A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever and the Boston Globe Horn Book Award for Picture Book for The Farmer and the Clown. She is the author-illustrator of Roller Coaster, Walk On!, Santa Claus the World’s Number One Toy Expert, The Boss Baby, and Boot & Shoe, as well as the illustrator of many other books including The Seven Silly Eaters, Stars, the NYT bestselling Clementine series, and God Got a Dog. Marla has three grown sons, a Little Free Library in her front yard, and a studio in her back yard under an avocado tree.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 312 reviews
February 13, 2024
Oh wow. I understand why this one won the Caldecott Honor. Truly beautiful.
February 17, 2023
If I had a dime, no, a penny, for every time my dad said actions speak louder than words, Forbes would have me on their billionaires list. He was a doer of the highest order. For him, every belief, emotion, and statement, and even those things unsaid, were backed by noticeable efforts.
When I read In Every Life (Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, February 07, 2023) written and illustrated by Marla Frazee for the first time, it was as if my dad was looking over my shoulder. When I read it a second time, it was as if every illustration was a testament to something I had heard over and over and over until it became a part of me. It is one thing to read or hear words, but when those words are made visible, their truth is revealed. This is what Marla Frazee gives to readers with this book.
My full recommendation https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...
When I read In Every Life (Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, February 07, 2023) written and illustrated by Marla Frazee for the first time, it was as if my dad was looking over my shoulder. When I read it a second time, it was as if every illustration was a testament to something I had heard over and over and over until it became a part of me. It is one thing to read or hear words, but when those words are made visible, their truth is revealed. This is what Marla Frazee gives to readers with this book.
My full recommendation https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...
May 11, 2023
Featured in a grandma reads session.
In Every Life, author / illustrator Marla Frazee reminds all of us - the youngest through the oldest of us - that the work of being a human is to earnestly and whole-heartedly acknowledge and recognize what our lives are knee-deep in each and every moment.
Her illustrations are sweeping, and simple. Complete scenes communicate the moment so thoroughly that even my youngest listeners, and the middle-agers, and the jaded teens showed by upturned corners of mouths and eyes that they understood the message being sent. Certainly my old heart tumbled happy memories at the moments her artwork evoked in my life.
Specific life moments are called out: birth, smiles, hopes, sadness, regular ordinary moments, and the spectacular surprising ones. . . .it is as simple as that. . . .As absolutely fantastic as that.
5 stars from me and mine in our read together today with this book (followed by chapters of Oliver Twist and Treasure Island).
In Every Life, author / illustrator Marla Frazee reminds all of us - the youngest through the oldest of us - that the work of being a human is to earnestly and whole-heartedly acknowledge and recognize what our lives are knee-deep in each and every moment.
Her illustrations are sweeping, and simple. Complete scenes communicate the moment so thoroughly that even my youngest listeners, and the middle-agers, and the jaded teens showed by upturned corners of mouths and eyes that they understood the message being sent. Certainly my old heart tumbled happy memories at the moments her artwork evoked in my life.
Specific life moments are called out: birth, smiles, hopes, sadness, regular ordinary moments, and the spectacular surprising ones. . . .it is as simple as that. . . .As absolutely fantastic as that.
5 stars from me and mine in our read together today with this book (followed by chapters of Oliver Twist and Treasure Island).
February 9, 2023
...and 5 Stars again.
I would buy this just for the illustrations – but also the hope, the very buddhist stillness, the nod to wonder – and the illustrations.
I would buy this just for the illustrations – but also the hope, the very buddhist stillness, the nod to wonder – and the illustrations.
February 3, 2023
Stunning.
February 5, 2023
W-O-W! If you’re going to gift a picture book to someone you love, let me suggest this gem. Released yesterday, February 4, and written by two-time Caldecott Honor recipient Marla Frazee, this is not just a picture book. This is a message that should be on every shelf, and that is for all ages.
The story is actually made of words that some people know well. The original source of the poem is unknown, and the author has revised it and illustrated it. One of my favorite lines says
“In every sadness, blessed is the comfort”
This work of art unites humans through love and what makes us humans, miracles that we each are. Because life is a miracle and love is the glue. A plus: The illustrations are totally inclusive of all kinds of humans and all kinds of love.
I received a review copy from Simon Kids which does not affect my review.
The story is actually made of words that some people know well. The original source of the poem is unknown, and the author has revised it and illustrated it. One of my favorite lines says
“In every sadness, blessed is the comfort”
This work of art unites humans through love and what makes us humans, miracles that we each are. Because life is a miracle and love is the glue. A plus: The illustrations are totally inclusive of all kinds of humans and all kinds of love.
I received a review copy from Simon Kids which does not affect my review.
May 13, 2023
A beautiful message with stunning, well-considered and impeccably drawn illustrations. Even if the trim size is perhaps a touch bigger than is comfortable for all hands, it's understandable that it was made this way.
August 4, 2023
Beautiful illustrations that depict lovely vignettes.
January 29, 2025
I am unwell.
Reread edit: a perfect balm for hopelessness, a good reminder of what really matters, and my forever new-baby gift from this day forward. Will read whenever I’m sad.
Reread edit: a perfect balm for hopelessness, a good reminder of what really matters, and my forever new-baby gift from this day forward. Will read whenever I’m sad.
September 6, 2023
Based on a Jewish call-and-response poem for a Jewish baby-naming blessing written during the tough times of 2020, I had a tough time with this book. I LOVE Frazee's illustrations. I love her books normally. This one feels like it would be perfect to give as a baby shower gift or celebration sort of gift (graduating from kindergarten or preschool maybe?). The sort of book that adults LOVE and rave about however let's remember that picture books are for adults and children.
Will children love this too?
I feel like a big meanie downing this beautiful book with all of its gorgeous emotional moments tucked in on every page.
I don't know. This was lovely. It didn't resonate with me for some odd reason. It left me feeling strangely hollow. All these moments. Just moment after moment after moment...it was like moment overkill. I was exhausted by it all. For those of you who love and treasure it, please be blessed and enjoy it.
Will children love this too?
I feel like a big meanie downing this beautiful book with all of its gorgeous emotional moments tucked in on every page.
I don't know. This was lovely. It didn't resonate with me for some odd reason. It left me feeling strangely hollow. All these moments. Just moment after moment after moment...it was like moment overkill. I was exhausted by it all. For those of you who love and treasure it, please be blessed and enjoy it.
April 17, 2023
This is a beautiful book filled with hope and love through all stages and experience of life. The illustrations are sweet, with a variety of expressions of family and children on each page that matches the simple text. A wonderful gift for the birth of a child or baptism. A book to read over and over again as a child grows and experiences the joys (and sadness) of life events from a perspective of family and community.
August 7, 2023
I had a feeling when I saw the cover that this book would make be cry. I didn't expect to cry from the dedication through to the end! Read this book and then give it as a gift to your true love.
This is the kind of book you can refer back to when you need that page. I wish I had the hope page when I was 33. The sadness page has me refocusing on the comfort.
This is the kind of book you can refer back to when you need that page. I wish I had the hope page when I was 33. The sadness page has me refocusing on the comfort.
January 23, 2024
2024 Caldecott Honor Book.
Spencer rated this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Spencer rated this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
April 24, 2023
Loved the illustrations. Thought provoking.
November 13, 2023
Poignant. I lived the simple, yet deeply meaningful text with gentle illustrations. An example: "In every sadness, blessed is the comfort," illustrated with multiple examples of sadness, such as a girl curled up on a cushion, a man walking alone, a woman comforting a person with cancer, a kid helping someone who got hurt falling off his scooter, a family grieving over a dog that has died, a girl curled in tears with her soccer ball. . . The emotions are deeply felt through the illustrations. Following each spread on snapshots of sadness is a two page spread of a full picture of the last part of the sentence before. In this instance, "comfort" was represented by an adult snuggling with a child, looking out across a lake and a bleak, gray sky, wrapped in a warm blanket. I felt deeply emotional as I experienced this book.
February 3, 2024
Wow, Wow, wow! This is a stunning and emotionally beautiful prize. The illustrations are absolutely fantastic and Marla Frazee did the artwork and the writing. This book has exactly 50 words. Fifty perfectly used, chosen, thoughtful, perfect words. Humanity is here.
April 6, 2024
• 2024 Caldecott Honor Book •
A quiet, beautiful book that’s thought provoking.
Materials used: “pencil and gouache on Strathmore 500 hot press paper”
Typeface used: “based on Goudy Handtooled and was hand lettered by Marla Frazee”
A quiet, beautiful book that’s thought provoking.
Materials used: “pencil and gouache on Strathmore 500 hot press paper”
Typeface used: “based on Goudy Handtooled and was hand lettered by Marla Frazee”
May 1, 2023
Contemplative drawings present a beautiful depiction of the joys and sorrows of life, experienced through interpersonal relationships.
October 4, 2023
This was a sweet story! I enjoyed reading it and my have teared up! (Note: author has done work on at least on pro-lgbt book for children so I cannot endorse her personally. But this book was fine!)
January 25, 2024
E Picturebook. 2024 Caldecott Honor. Another feel good winner from Frazee. Simple but to the point. Reflections of the blessings and miracles of life.
February 4, 2024
I cried. I admit it.
February 6, 2024
Beautiful illustrations.
February 11, 2024
I loved all of the full page spreads.
August 17, 2024
This is like a beautiful update to Everywhere Babies.
February 7, 2023
I have always been a HUGE fan of Marla Frazee. I first noticed her illustrations in Everywhere Babies and All in the World. I am so happy to have a book where she does the text and the illustrations. I love the different color themes on each set of pages that corresponds with the emotions. I love following the different families through each of the colors/emotions/pages as a little search and find. And I love the diversity of the characters, so easy and normalized that her artwork always gives me hope that what I see on her pages will be true everywhere someday. Great for any home library or baby shower.
November 9, 2023
The artwork in this book is magical!
February 17, 2023
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello, friends! Our book today is In Every Life by Marla Frazee, a lovely meditation on the ups and downs of being alive, and the thread of love that connects us all through it.
In every birth, the blessing is in the wonder of that new life. In every smile, the blessing is in the light that the smile brings to those who experience it. With simple call-and-response text that finds grace in the building blocks of the human experience (such as hope, sadness, and love), the reader is shown that there are blessings to be found in every moment, good or bad, that is spent with the people who fill our lives with love.
Gorgeous. Though Frazee’s text is spare, each phrase is packed with universal relevance, especially when combined with her meticulously detailed and lifelike artwork. Each page of text is filled with 8 to 14 vignettes that illustrate the phrase that they accompany (“In every hope, blessed is the doing,” for instance, features characters of various ages potty training, watering a garden, preparing a turkey for the oven, playing the guitar, etc.), while the following two-page spread is a full-bleed, textless landscape that shows the scale of quiet moments in human life against a vast natural setting. The characters featured are incredibly diverse across a number of identities, including race, age, ability, gender, sexuality, family composition, body type/modification, and more. Combined, it is humbling, uplifting, and deeply resonant, giving a sense of human connection to both our loved ones and to strangers. The length is perfect for a storytime, and JJ and I both loved it. This is a stunning work and a must-read, and we can’t recommend it enough. Baby Bookworm approved!
(Note: A copy of this book was provided to the Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
March 23, 2023
This stunning picture book is based on "a call-and-response version of a Jewish baby-naming blessing" that Frazee heard in 1998. She worked on her interpretation for a number of years, but it all came together for her in 2020. This is a life-affirming book of gratitude that embraces birth and death mingled with tears of joy and sorrow. The illustrations are filled with babies, parents, grandparents, and friends living their lives interspersed with glorious landscapes. A book of mystery and wonder, but most of all gratitude for the blessings of love and life!
March 29, 2023
Stunning in its emotional quietness, IN EVERY LIFE uses a variety of illustrations of people of every age and description to show us life's ups and downs. I could see this book being gifted to new parents, graduates, those who have just suffered loss--anyone experiencing big transitions. Expect to see yourself in these pages; you may get a bit emotional, as well.
Veg*n parents note: One vignette depicts a family stuffing a turkey's body.
Veg*n parents note: One vignette depicts a family stuffing a turkey's body.
May 5, 2023
Absolutely GORGEOUS!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 312 reviews