Every Little Thing
Written by Cedella Marley
Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
A charming adaptation of Bob Marley’s song “Three Little Birds.” Three chirping birds greet a young boy who has dreadlocks and a Bob Marley t-shirt. There may be rain, hurt feelings at the playground or a mess in the kitchen, but the birds keep chirping out the message “Don’t worry about a thing, every little thing is gonna be all right.” When the boy gets up the next day, sure enough he greets the day with a smile. The illustrations are bright, colorful drawings with just the right touch of mixed media. The recurring cat and bird mischief lends the right touch of whimsy. The subtext of this book is that love of family and friends makes every little thing all right, giving it an emotionally reassuring tone that even young children will appreciate.
This could be used as either a class read aloud or something a second grader could read to a younger child. It could also be used in music class for its literacy activities. It would be good for reader’s theatre because of the reading level and, with the song-like structure, everyone could chant the refrain. Readers could also come up with their own list of things that go wrong, answering with the refrain.
On the publisher’s website, get free tattoos (http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/kids-teens/multicultural/african-american/every-little-thing.html). For her previous book, One Love, author Cedella Marley performs her father’s song, “One Love” (http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/kids-teens/multicultural/african-american/one-love.html).
TITLE: Every Little Thing- AUTHOR: Cedella Marley
- ILLUSTRATOR: Vanessa Brantley-Newton
- PUBLISHER: Chronicle, 2012
- REVIEWER: Risa Brown
- EDITION: Hardcover, 32 p.
- ISBN: 978-1-4521-0697-7