All You Need

by Howard Schwartz, Jasu Hu (Illustrator)

Overview

A little girl grows up to be an accomplished artist in this sumptuously illustrated book about the small things that lead to a rich and fulfilling life.

All You need
Is a planet to live on,
A sun to give you light,
And warmth. . .

In All You Need, poet Howard Schwartz’s graceful, deceptively simple text describes a handful of things anyone needs to live a rich and fulfilling life, made all the more potent by the illustrations of debut picture book artist Jasu Hu, who uses her talents to create a rich and powerful narrative describing her own journey, creative and otherwise, from a childhood in China to her arrival to study art in New York. Ultimately, she creates her own book, this book, a gift to her distant parents.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823443291
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	04/05/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	628,644
Product dimensions:	10.39(w) x 10.31(h) x 0.36(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Howard Schwartz is Professor of English at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He has published three books of poetry, and several books of fiction, including The Captive Soul of the Messiah and Adam's Soul. In addition, Schwartz has also published ten children's books, including Before You Were Born, The Diamond Tree (with Barbara Rush, which won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in 1992), Next Year in Jerusalem: 3000 Years of Jewish Tales, which won the National Jewish Book Award and the Aesop Award of the American Folklore Society, both in 1996, A Coat for the Moon (with Barbara Rush, which won Anne Izard Storyeller's Choice Award for 1998 and the 1999 Honor Title of the Storytelling World Awards, and The Day the Rabbi Disappeared: Jewish Holiday Tales of Magic which won the National Jewish Book Award and The Aesop Prize of the American Folklore Society. His book, Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism, won the National Jewish Book Award for 2005 in the category of Reference. Schwartz lives in St. Louis with his wife Tsila, and his three children, Shira, Nathan and Miriam.


Jasu Hu was born in Hunan, China. She has worked as an illustrator in China for 6 years while studying Visual Communication at Tsinghua University (Beijing). After finishing her MFA in Illustration at MICA (USA), she moved to New York and started working as a freelance illustrator. She won the New Talent of AOI Illustration Award in 2014. The Obama Legacy, a project she illustrated for The Washington Post, has won a national Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding New Approaches in Documentary.

Editorial Reviews

03/14/2022

Schwartz’s poetic second-person text lists life’s essentials (“All you need// is a planet to live on// a sun to give you light”) while tracing a Chinese child’s maturation into a young artist. Debut illustrator Hu’s lush, full spreads follow the child and a swallow companion—per an illustrator’s note, signifying “a messenger that brings happiness and is a symbol of homecoming”—through seasons and years. Beginning as an infant with their parents, the images show the child’s growth into a young artist, who eventually travels to “a land// where you are welcome,” learns “words to share your thoughts,” and creates a book—whose cover matches the jacket of this volume—that they send to their parents. Words and images gently align (the word warmth against an orange backdrop) in this gentle register of needs that moves through physiological requirements to successful self-actualization. Creators’ notes conclude. Age 4–8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "A beautiful, poetic look at what one needs to live a good life."—School Library Journal, Starred Review

"Schwartz’s poetic second-person text lists life’s essentials . . . while tracing a Chinese child’s maturation into a young artist. Debut illustrator Hu’s lush, full spreads follow the child and a swallow companion . . . through seasons and years. . . . Words and images gently align (the word warmth against an orange backdrop) in this gentle register of needs that moves through physiological requirements to successful self-actualization."—Publishers Weekly

"[A] poetically reflective story. . . . The simple, lyrical lines are accompanied by beautifully detailed double-page watercolor illustrations, which are expressive of the poem's serenity in their gentle pastel tones and soft brushstrokes. . . This is a thoughtful take on needs versus wants, but it also explores the idea of belonging, both to a community and to the wider circle of life on our planet."—Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 05/01/2022

K-Gr 3—Schwartz's poetic text is both profound and simple as it enumerates all that is necessary to thrive from the physical (planet, sun, rain, food, water, sleep, etc.) to the emotional (welcome, love, a voice). It's difficult to believe that a list of such essential matters does not drift into the esoteric, but here they are, as tangible and enveloping as a child's embrace in Hu's watercolor paintings. "All you need is a planet to live on, a sun to give you light and warmth." And then, "You also need fresh water to quench your thirst, and plenty of sleep. Finally, you need a land where you are welcome, someone to watch over you, words to share your thoughts." Hu's scenes are as full of color and light as they are evocative and beautiful. They tell a story within the text of a girl experiencing all of Schwartz's milestones while on her own journey from a childhood in Hunan to adulthood as an artist who ultimately resides in a different country from her family. There are layers of meaning that are apparent only after reading the artist's note; an author's note is also included. VERDICT A beautiful, poetic look at what one needs to live a good life. It can easily be experienced on many levels, depending on developmental stage, and used in writing classes.—Catherine Callegari

School Library Journal

2022-04-27
Short stanzas from scholar Schwartz are brought to life with illustrations from award-winning artist Hu.

Schwartz’s free verse highlights the simple, essential needs we all have, among them shelter, sun, food, water, and clean air. Amplifying this message of our shared connection is a secondary story conveyed through the illustrations. Drawing inspiration from her childhood in China, Hu uses watercolor washes, warm tones contrasting with calming blues that create a cozy, dreamlike feel, to tell the story of a young child growing up and later emigrating to pursue their art. For a book that is otherwise so inclusive, highlighting Asian heritage and the immigrant experience, it is disappointing that the closing stanza includes among the list of needs “a hand to write”—a phrase that potentially excludes children with limb differences as well as cultures that have no written language. Nevertheless, the inviting illustrations and the overall message of interconnection between nature and humanity save the day. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A simple poem paired with stunning watercolors tells a story of unity. (note from the author and artist) (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews