TO EVERYTHING
by Bob Barner & illustrated by Bob Barner
In a quite different approach to the well-known verses from Ecclesiastes than the Dillons (To Everything There Is a Season, p. 1383) took, Barner (Which Way to the Revolution, p. 334) creates vivid collages that are playful, joyous, and happy, even when the sentiments are somber, e.g., "a time to mourn." "A time to be born, a time to die" shows a chrysalis on the left side of the spread, a gorgeous and fully formed butterfly across the middle, and small, black butterflies tumbling downward on the right. "A time to cry, a time to laugh" shows one lone monkey watching a group of monkeys. "A time for war, a time for peace" contrasts a dove and barbed wire. Too abstract for preschoolers, this works best as a shared volume, with adults explaining the more difficult concepts. The rendering of these lines in so determinedly upbeat a manner glosses over their subtlety and beauty, but provides a good first interpretation of verses that may already be familiar to children. (Picture book. 5-9)