The World Is Waiting for You

As she did in One World, One Day, Kerley pairs lean prose with exquisite photographs (many from National Geographic’s archives) in this exuberant celebration of the boundless possibilities life holds for children. As in the earlier book, smaller versions of the photos also appear at book’s end, annotated with information about the activities and locations depicted, as well as comments from the photographers. Kerley uses two visual narratives to encourage readers to explore the world around them. Photographs of children involved in outdoor activities alternate with thematically linked images of scientists and adventurers. A photograph of a child playing under a waterfall in Bali (“Make a splash. Get a little too wet”) is followed by a shot of oceanographer Sylvia Earle diving with dolphins near the Bahamas (“Dive in”); an image of a girl standing on a Florida beach (“face the wind...”) leads into a shot of a biologist/photographer paragliding over Patagonia (“...and soar”). Whether portraying an everyday activity or an extraordinary feat of science and exploration, the daring photographs and invigorating text aim to inspire—and succeed. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)