cover image Children of the Earth

Children of the Earth

Amy Churba. Pleiades Publishing, $15.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-9662777-0-8

This inauspicious debut for author, illustrator and publisher begins by asking ""the Children of the Earth,"" ""Do you know, do you know/ that you glow?/ Do you know, do you know/ that you show/ all the colors of the rainbow!"" The book asks children of the Forest, Garden, Mountain, Sea, Sky, Stars and Earth in turn what they see, feel and hear. The text poses 21 questions in all, then answers with an assortment of clich s (e.g., ""Children, children of the Forest/ What do you see?/ We see green trees swaying in the breeze""). The illustrations feature abstracted, faceless children with triangular legs cavorting gaily, arms outspread, set against hazy landscapes. While it purports to be a celebration of the natural world, the treatment is a bit too bland. Ages 1-8. (Sept.)