Emile and the Field
words by Kevin Young
art by Chioma Ebinama
There was a boy
named Emile
who fell
in love with a field.
It was wide
and blue--
and if you could have
seen it
so would've you.
Emile loves the field close to his home—in spring, summer, and fall, when it gives him bees and flowers, blossoms and leaves. In winter, though, his beautiful, changing field fills up with other children and their sleds.
This lyrical tale of one boy's love for his field through the seasons celebrates how spending time in nature allows children to dream, to imagine . . . and even to share.
Kevin Young is the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. He is also the poetry editor of the New Yorker and an award-winning poet whose books have been finalists for the National Book Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Emile and the Field is his first book for children.
Chioma Ebinama is a Nigerian American fine artist whose work has exhibited internationally. Her journey as an artist began with children's books; as a kid she learned to draw by copying popular picture-book and cartoon characters found in her local library. Emile and the Field is the first picture book that she has illustrated. It's particularly meaningful to her since she's always been enchanted by stories of outdoor adventures but never saw characters that looked like her truly enjoying the outdoors. After traveling all over the world, Chioma currently lives in Athens, Greece, where she enjoys soaking up the sunlight with her little dog, Luna.
Make Me a World
hardcover
English
March 15, 2022
40 pages
9 x 0.43 x 11.25 inches
