Phil Cummings (text) and Sally Soweol Han (illustrator), Footprint, A & U Children’s, February 2024, 24 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781761180323
Included in the 2025 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Picture Book Notables list.
Phil Cummings and Sally Soweol Han have created a thought-provoking larger format picture book about the environment. The book encourages all readers (and it’s accessible to a wide range of ages including adults) to think about their where they live as well as other locations and… To take the time, a moment or two To ponder what lies in front of you. Breathe… Yes breathe.
Children from a range of racial backgrounds wander through a variety of landscapes, flora and fauna from around the world, including night skies and polluted places, beautifully depicted by Han’s soft pastels and coloured pencils. Some pages are double-page spreads while others have snapshots of several locations. The most important message is to encourage the reader to enjoy where they are, appreciate what is living there and preserve it. But to walk and wander near and far. No footprint you leave will leave a scar.
This is a book with a strong philosophical but quiet message suited to very young readers as well as older ones to slow down and reflect on what’s around us.
Reviewed by Maureen Mann
