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Starred Review Where We Come From

  • Interest Level: Kindergarten - Grade 4
  • Reading Level: Grade 2

“Outstanding in all ways, this title deserves a place in most collections and adds a wonderful opportunity for upper elementary students (and higher!) to unpack our complicated histories.”—starred, School Library Journal

We come from stardust
our bodies made of ancient elements.
We come from single cells
evolving over billions of years.
We come from place, language, and spirit.
And each of us comes from story.

We all come from something. In this unique collaboration, four authors lyrically explore where they each come from—literally and metaphorically—as well as what unites all of us as humans. Weaving together their individual stories, they explore place, ancestors, movement, struggle, determination, and hope.

Powerful poetic text and richly layered illustrations bring together past and present, creating an accessible and visually striking look at family, history, and identity.

Format Your Price Add
978-1-5415-9612-2
 $16.49
978-1-7284-6827-3
 $23.99
Available at all major wholesalers and distributors. Save 25% off list price on hardcovers and ebooks when you buy direct! Digital purchases will be accessed on Lerner Digital Bookshelf. An account will be created for you after purchase.
Interest Level Kindergarten - Grade 4
Reading Level Grade 2
Genre Picture Books, Social Studies
Category 5 Kinds of Nonfiction, 5KN: Expository Literature, Diverse Books: Celebrating Differences , Diverse Books: Immigration & Refugees, Diverse Books: #OwnVoices, Diverse Books: Race & Ethnicity, Diversity, SEL: A Self-Awareness, SEL: C Social Awareness, Social Emotional Learning
Copyright 2022
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Carolrhoda Books ®
Language English
Number of Pages 40
Publication Date 2022-10-04
Text Type Poetry
BISACS JNF007030, JNF025180, JNF069000
Dewey 811/.6
Dimensions 9.25 x 11
Lexile 1000
Guided Reading Level U
Features Awards, Bibliography/further reading, Original artwork, Reviewed, Starred Reviews, Teaching Guides, and eSource

Awards

  • Minnesota Book Award Finalist, Short-listed, 2023
  • Heartland Booksellers Award Finalist, Short-listed, 2023
  • Notable Award Carter G. Woodson Book Award Winner, Winner, 2023
  • Notable Award White Raven Book List, Winner, 2023

Reviews

Starred Review School Library Journal

Reviewed on 1 December 2022

“Outstanding in all ways, this title deserves a place in most collections and adds a wonderful opportunity for upper elementary students (and higher!) to unpack our complicated histories.”—starred, School Library Journal

Booklist

Reviewed on 15 October 2022

“[The authors] individually and collectively tell the story of how this country has developed and how many unique parts are reflected in people today. . . . Children and adults will find much to study and contemplate in this unique and ambitious work.”—Booklist

Shelf Awareness

Reviewed on 7 September 2022

“This collaboration of American voices offers an unusual and honest look at the complexity of identity.” —Shelf Awareness

Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed on 1 July 2022

“[A] quilt of many details that gives the reader less a feeling of understanding one person but more a sense of the rich tapestry that is America.”—Kirkus Reviews