You Are Everything

by Omid Arabian, Shilla Shakoori (Illustrator)

Overview

Inspired by a Rumi poem, this mystical picture book for the young readers emphasizes the vast interconnectedness of the world and each of us.

you thought:
What if I try a little...
becoming?

And as soon as you thought it,
it started to happen.
(That’s how powerful you are!)
Whatever you thought of,
you started to become!

You Are Everything takes readers on a journey that begins before the existence of space and time and ends in the present day. Illustrated by Iranian-American artist Shilla Shakoori, the story is a cosmically inclusive embrace of our interconnectedness. 

With each turn of the page your transformation unfolds from a being that just is to one that becomes the world around us. And if you can take a moment off from all the doing that you do, author Arabian suggests, and let yourself simply be, you may realize that you are not just one person -- you are also everything in the universe.

Readers who are inspired by Rumi and stories from Persian mystics or anyone interested in mindfulness and a greater awareness of being in the world will love You Are Everything.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781644213100
Publisher:	Seven Stories Press
Publication date:	11/07/2023
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	36
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Iranian-American scholar and teacher Omid Arabian is the founder and director of YOUniversal Center, where he conducts courses in mysticism for adults and children. His translations of Rumi's poetry have been published in three volumes.

Shilla Shakoori is a contemporary artist from Iran who now lives in Los Angeles. Shilla approaches her life and her art with a humanist worldview, and counts Rumi as her most notable influence.

Editorial Reviews

"This beautiful book is a rhythmic love song; a contemplation on the circular dance of being, becoming, doing and the power to just be. Within each page lies an invitation to dream, aspire, and wonder about what makes each of us special and how we are all connected, beyond human form, to planetary forces and the vastness of the universe."—Elin Kelsey, Author of You Are Stardust and A Last Goodbye

From the Publisher

11/10/2023

K-Gr 3—Inspired by the 13th-century poet Rumi's work, this picture book invites children to think about their connection to the world and how we are all connected from the beginning of time and space to our present human form. Using rhythmic text, Arabian (The Donkey's Gone!, The Heart's Garden) contemplates the vastness of the universe and asks readers to wonder about our special place in this world. "In the beginning/ before there were any stars/ or any suns/ or any sky,/ before there was any place/ or any thing/ there was YOU." Using soft charcoal grays and golds, Shakoori successfully embraces this mystical awareness of being, not only as an individual but as part of the universe. "And so,/ once in a while,/ if you stop what you're doing/ and just BE,/ you might remember/ (maybe a little, or maybe a lot)…you're also EVERYTHING ELSE in the world." This is a gentle title of being and transformation that will surely inspire awareness about who we are, and how we are part of a larger world. VERDICT The concept may be a little complicated for younger children to understand completely, but this thought-provoking book will help readers gain mindful insight and inspire a greater awareness of self.—Carole Phillips

School Library Journal