A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 350

Picture Book: The World is Waiting for You

Author: Barbara Kerley

Photographers: various 

Summary: Beautiful photos from around the world make connections here between fun children’s activities of exploration, adventure, and discovery to adult passions and professions. The book begins with a promise that right outside a child’s window or around the bend of a path possibilities in the natural world abound. Those experiences might awaken a passion that carries a child into adulthood and beyond. Scanning the night sky might be the first step to becoming an astronaut. Tree climbing could lead to scaling a mountain. Hands in the mud are how many budding archeologists begin. The book ends in this way: “The whole wide world is waiting for you. Ready. Set. Go.”

Hanna’s Comments: True of all of Barbara Kerley’s wonderful National Geographic books for children, end papers detail the photos, giving places, names, and explanations. Along with a Bible, this would be a great book to give children in your faith community who are transitioning to a higher level. The day the books are given, read this one in a lesson that focuses on how exploring the Bible can lead to adventures as well. Give examples such as missionary work, biblical archeology, or inventing green technology.

Original Publisher & Date of Publication: National Geographic, 2013

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

# of Pages: 48

Available in Spanish? Not at present

Formats other than Book: None at present

PBT Category: Fresh off the Press, Non-fiction

PBT Topics this Book connects with: abundance/bounty, attentiveness/observation/seeing, awe, beauty, blessings, body/body of Christ, creation, culture, diversity, Earth/world, the environment/nature, exploration, geography, gladness/happiness, humanity, joy, legacies, preparation, presence, renewal, restoration, variety, witness, wonder

Scripture Connections: This book connects to Bible stories that involve adventure, discovery, or exploration such as when Jacob left his parents’ home, when Joseph is sold into slavery and then discovers his new life in Egypt, or Paul’s three missionary journeys.  

Idea(s) for Application: Read this book to a group of children in a lesson on how exploring the Bible can lead to future passions that linger throughout adulthood.