One World: 24 Hours on Planet Earth - by Nicola Davies (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Take a magical ride around the globe to see the wonders of a single moment in a story illuminating our precious and fragile natural world.

Our planet is always turning. It may be midnight in London, but in different time zones other living things are waking up, ready to hunt or feed or fight. As the clock strikes twelve, two sisters are spirited away on a journey to glimpse, in the span of a moment, extraordinary biodiversity: a mother polar bear and her cubs hunting seals in Svalbard, tiny turtles in India following the moon toward the sea, and enormous whale sharks gulping plankton in the Philippines. Quietly profound, this glowing tribute to the natural world--and reminder of its fragility--blends accessible science, lyricism, sweeping artwork, and a call for climate awareness into an ideal companion book for Earth Day, or any wondrous day on Earth.

Review Quotes

Davies is careful to depict both the harmful and helpful impacts that humans can have. . . . Filled with informative prose and stunning art, One World delivers on its creative concept and leaves readers with not only a sense of awe at our planet's remarkable biodiversity but also newfound feelings of respect and responsibility.
--BookPage (starred review)

Davies and Desmond use time zones as the framing for a conservation-oriented tour of Earth in this eye-opening journey. . . . Lushly imagined mixed-media illustrations offer a birds-eye view, suggesting the vastness of the planet with documentary-style spreads of penguins dotting the snow far into the horizon or hundreds of baby sea turtles covering a moonlit beach. The suggestion that all this ecological magic exists at the same time buttresses the direct call to save the Earth.
--Publishers Weekly

The focus stays on Earth's flora and fauna, and Davies points out the necessity of each ecosystem and the human impact on that environment. . . The combination of awe and wonder at nature's beauty along with the various ways it is threatened is a poignant reminder of the caretaking role humans have mostly failed at. Mixed media art has varying textures and richness to match the settings. . . This could make an engaging Earth Day storytime, especially when paired with Davies' previous work.
--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

A journey around the globe highlights ecological dangers the world over. . . Beautifully illustrated.
--Kirkus

This award-winning team takes a trip around the world to see what's happening on Planet Earth i. . . This is a very interesting oversized book with lively depictions of day and night.
--The Pioneer Press

About the Author

Nicola Davies is a zoologist and an award-winning author whose many books for children include Grow: Secrets of Our DNA, illustrated by Emily Sutton; The Day War Came, illustrated by Rebecca Cobb; and Ride the Wind, illustrated by Salvatore Rubbino. She lives in Wales.

Jenni Desmond is an award-winning author and illustrator whose books have been translated into more than twenty languages. She is the illustrator of Joy by Yasmeen Ismail and the author-illustrator of Albert's Tree, among many books for children. She lives in East London with her husband and their two daughters.