#450 of 1001 · October 24, 2021

What does it mean to be a small part of a larger whole? Though we often feel like the protagonists of our own stories, it can be humbling to remember that countless others out there are having experiences both similar to and different from our own at any given time. Here and Now by @juliadenos and @ebgoodale explores the universality of such an instant, detailing all of the phenomena constantly taking place around the world. Denos’s text unfolds in elegantly simple vignettes, moving deftly from one observation to another. Along the way, she gently examines everyday contrasts (the tiny work of ants and the great motion of planets) and comparisons (the growth of muscles and the growth of figures). Goodale’s illustrations, made with ink, watercolor, monoprinting, and digital collage, incorporate engaging visual devices: cutaway drawings reveal underground activity, outlines placed within a landscape suggest the spirituality of human presence, and a book-within-a-book creates “mise en abyme” (a recursive sequence in which an image contains a smaller copy of itself which in turn contains an even smaller copy, shrinking towards infinity). Though each page depicts a mundane event, the cumulative effect of their presentation invites us to slow down and mindfully regard them as interconnected pieces of a wondrous cosmic snapshot. #here #now #world #earth #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcover #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks