We now call it The Great Realization
and, yes, since then there have been many.
But that’s the story of how it started . . .
and why hindsight’s 2020.
Wow. I am typically not this emotional in reading a poetry picture book - especially before 8am, but reading through this remarkable poem thinking back to the beginning of the pandemic, reality hit me in the face hard. I have seen several other books come out in regards to the pandemic and trying to make it understandable, for children especially, but The Great Realization is so accurate for adults and children alike, to me it's a necessary purchase on September 1 for your classroom.
My brain is already churning on how I can use this in the classroom. While yes, I want to avoid any traumatic topics that may bring up worry in the kids, I also want to talk about the elephant in the room from the pandemic - the fact that we as American were forced to "stop and smell the roses" even if it wasn't for as long as we should have. In that time though, I remember picking up groceries and driving through the neighborhood and seeing more people outside in that time frame than I had in 20 years. There were positives from this pandemic, from the shut downs, and I definitely think we need to reflect on those now, and years to come. The Great Realization is just that. The perfect tool to discuss with students theme, inference, plot, foreshadowing, characterization. Really, any standard you teach in your classroom, you can adapt and fit this story. I think I'll be reading this with my middle schoolers next week and we will be picking it apart and putting it all back together again.
Together with award-nominated illustrator Nomoco, debut author Tomos Roberts brings his stunning performance piece, viewed over 6 million times on YouTube alone, to life in the picture book adaptation THE GREAT REALIZATION (on-sale Sept. 1, 2020). Relevant and universal, THE GREAT REALIZATION is a poignant book told in the unique style of a bedtime story, and delivers a much-needed message of hope in this uncertain new world.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tomos Roberts is a spoken word poet, performer and filmmaker, born in New Zealand to Welsh parents. He launched his YouTube platform on 22 March 2020 and, just five weeks later, uploaded a performance of ‘The Great Realisation’, featuring a cameo from his seven-year-old brother. The video has since been viewed over 60 million times. Tomos has been interviewed on This Morning, by Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and his story has been reported all over the world, including in the Daily Mail and the Washington Post. Celebrities including Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Khloé Kardashian and Jake Gyllenhaal have praised his heartfelt work. Tomos lives in London.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Nomoco is a Japanese artist and illustrator, whose joyful artwork has been publishing and exhibited all over the globe. Nature and sound are key inspirations for her work, which is realized in a range of different media, including inks, silkscreen and lithography. Nomoco is the illustrator of Once Upon a Raindrop, written by James Carter, which was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal 2020 as well as being shortlisted for the UKLA Award 2020, Information Books category. She has produced artwork for clients as varied as the Royal School of Music, the Guardian, the New York Times, Moschino, Marc Jacobs and Pocko. She lives in Tokyo.
HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN’S BOOKS AND EGMONT BOOKS UK TO PUBLISH PICTURE BOOK ADAPTATION OF INSPIRING ONLINE COVID-19 POEM BY TOMOS ROBERTS, WITH ART BY NOMOCO
—THE GREAT REALIZATION publishes in the US on September 1, 2020—
Leave a comment below if you have heard this poem, or when you read the book what you plan to do with your kids!
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