- Picture Books
- Ages 3–7
- Everyday Life
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth
Part of the Oliver Jeffers universeOpen the collection
A warm, expansive welcome-to-the-world picture book, written as notes from parent to child. It is one of Jeffers' most giftable books, especially for new babies, birthdays and family read-alouds.
- Best for3–7
- FormatPicture
- Length48 pp
- Read aloud~10 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Lyrical
- Conversational
- Second person
Tone
- Warm
- Gentle
- Heartwarming
- Inspirational
- Thought provoking
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Written for Oliver Jeffers' newborn son, Here We Are introduces Earth as if explaining it to someone who has just arrived. The book moves from space to land, sea, sky, people, animals, bodies, time and kindness, offering a gentle tour of the planet and our place on it. Its great strength is the balance between huge scale and intimate voice: the world is enormous, strange and full of detail, but the message is simple, be curious, look after things, and be kind to other people. The artwork is rich with tiny visual details, making it rewarding to revisit, while the text stays calm and reassuring. It works beautifully as a bedtime read, a new-baby gift, or a discussion starter about planet Earth, family, difference and belonging.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 3–7
- Read aloud · 2–7
- Independent · 6–9
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
5 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- New baby gift
- Planet earth
- Bedtime read
- Family read aloud
- Big questions
Avoid if
- Wants plot driven story
- Wants fast gags
- Prefers character adventure
Particularly good for children who are…
- Interested in science
- New sibling
- Bedtime battles
- Anxiety and worry
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Oliver Jeffers' warm 'how to live on Earth' guide — a wonderful read-aloud and discussion text about kindness, difference and caring for our planet.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific charm is the scale — a four-year-old looking at the whole planet laid out simply and clearly, with the comforting note that they're allowed to be here. The 'be kind' page is the one children remember; the maps and animals are the ones they ask about for years.
- Family belonging
- Making a difference
Why parents love it
The Oliver Jeffers most gifted at new-baby births and big-birthday occasions. Written for his own newborn son, but reads as a quietly philosophical handbook to being a human. The 'be kind' page is the one parents take with them when they put the book down.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Bedtime appropriate
- Conversation starter
- Beloved classic
About the author & illustrator
Oliver Jeffers.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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