This Is The Earth by Deedee Cummings, Illustrated by Charlene Mosley {Children's Book Review}

This is the Earth is another brilliantly illustrated, simple, easy to read story from Deedee Cummings and her amazing illutrator, Charlene Mosley.

Disclosure: I received this book to review through iRead Book Tours, I have volunteered to share my review and all the opinions are 100% my own.

A recent Purple Dragonfly Award First Place winner, Cummings uses bold and bright illustrations in This is the Earth to share a message of peace, love, respect, compassion, inclusion. Published in early 2019, the book’s message bears repeating: peace is meant for all of us and it is everyone’s responsibility to care for each other like the united family that we really are. This exceptional and timely book shares the reality that we are all sharing this world that we call home instead of acting as though each continent, each, country, and each neighborhood is like a completely different planet. Within the pages of This is the Earth, readers will discover thought and conversation-invoking concepts on issues and struggles that has our world at odds with each other. Kids and adults will love the lyrical message and thoughtful artwork that reinforces the fact that every human being is our neighbor on Planet Earth; a place also known as Home.

Buy the Book: Amazon.com, Make A Way Media
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I have to tell you – Deedee Cummings books may be geared toward children, but they are absolutely books that I think every person should read – regardless of age!

In the two books I have read by her, the message is great to start children with, but are messages that many adults forget as they get older. Especially in times of a pandemic and politics. Both this book and In the Nick of Time need to be broadcast to all people to try and get society back to a “nice” place.

This is the Earth is super simple to read with a max of 2 sentences on a page (although most pages only have one). It has a good rhyme as well which makes it easy for little ones to read, or readers just starting out.

The illustrations are gorgeous with cute little details that I missed the first time I read through the book. (Pretty sure the turtle, chameleon and crab are my favorites!)

Honest to goodness, I know adults – MANY adults – that should read this book and keep it on hand. Maybe read it daily so they can ingrain the message in their brain.

We all live on Earth. We are all different – races, cultures, upbringings. We can meet in the middle without disliking one another. We can accept one another. We can learn from one another. “You do you and I’ll do me” – no better message.

I loved this book and am definitely going to keep it near by to remind myself and my children how everyone needs to remember to teach every one.

About the Author
Deirdre “Deedee” Cummings believes literacy is a fundamental human right. She is the founder of Make A Way Media, It Pays to Read & the Louisville Book Festival, as well as, an attorney, therapist, and CEO of Abi Behavioral Health in Louisville, Kentucky. Abi is an intensive therapy agency that works to prevent the placement of children in out of home care, such as foster care, hospitalization, and incarceration. Deedee attended Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina, one of only two all-female Historically Black Colleges in the country. After graduating from Bennett, she earned a master’s degree and a law degree from the University of Louisville. All of her writing focuses on sharing inspiring messages that remind us all it is never too late to begin again. Deedee encourages the children she works with to write as a way to process emotions, document their journey, and express themselves more clearly. In addition to presenting on multiple topics around the country, Deedee donates hundreds of books and volunteer hours every year to families, children, churches and the local school system. She is excited to announce the launch of her tenth children’s book, This is the Earth. The inspiration for this book came from overwhelming negative media coverage about race relations in our country and across the world. This is the Earth is a book about peace, respect, and diversity inclusion: a message that must be heard and repeated often. She and her husband Anthony live in Louisville with their three children Kayla (an actress in New York), Anthony (a college student and athlete), and Nick (in elementary school).