This Thing called Life by Christian Borstlap

The very first words and image in this book are powerful and confronting - "Long, long ago, before little white wires started growing out of our ears ... "

Then we turn the page and start the journey to discover this thing called life.

Before you go any further take a look at this short film - it is WONDERFUL! Christian Borstlap runs an advertising agency called 'This is part of a bigger plan.' The book This Thing called Life came from this film made for the Amsterdam Zoo which you can see here along with many of the illustrations from this book. There are 115 short films on the company website. 

I really appreciate the way the author (and unnamed translator) include words such as medley; perceiving; unpredictable; complicated; and dependent. 

You could share this book with a younger child (6+) and then also add it to your collection of books to share with older students including High School classes. All audiences will appreciate the funny moments, serious moments and parts of this text that are designed to make you think a little more deeply about life!

Here is my favourite page:

I also love the way Christian has used graph paper as a background for his two spreads about size - "There is big life.  And there is invisible life."  

Publisher blurb: From the smallest specks of life to the largest creatures, this engaging picture book shows the many shapes and forms life takes all around us. What is life? It’s constantly moving, growing, reproducing, and dying. It’s happening now, all the time, and it’s everywhere around us. From little helicopter seed pods that float through the air to blue whales in the ocean, the world is filled with all different types of odd and familiar kinds of life. This whimsical picture book helps young readers see the connections between all living things. Author and illustrator Christian Borstlap’s furry, feathery, smooth, and spiky creatures crawl, eat, growl, fly, and interact with one another. While most of his creations are imaginary animals, they all depict real things that organisms must do to survive and thrive. Bold and quirky illustrations tug at kids’ imaginations and help demonstrate complex concepts that can be hard to put into words. The book leaves lots of room for discussion and for new discoveries with each reading.

About the publisher: Prestel is the publisher for art lovers, designers and those with an eye for beauty - young and old alike, Prestel appeals to all those with a passion for visual culture.

Here is the French trailer for This Thing called Life or A Propos de la Vie. Click on these review comments for more images from inside this book.

This is a soulful book that carries an important message to youngsters using the simplest words and vitalised by the amazing appealing illustrations. San Francisco Book Review

The plants and animals look familiar but are also otherworldy and feel like they’re going to move around like some of the animation in Monty Python’s Flying Circus. That combined with the concise, intelligent text makes this an illustrated book that soars above its peers. Daddy Mojo

Life comes in all sizes and is still being discovered. Life is not fair and is unpredictable. It can be long or very short. But most importantly, life is to be lived together, connected to one another. Waking Brain Cells

You could pair this book with Life by Cynthia Rylant illustrated by Brenden Wenzel.