All You Need [Hardcover]

A little girl grows up to be an accomplished artist in this sumptuously illustrated book about the small things that lead to a rich and fulfilling life.

In All You Need, poet Howard Schwartz’s graceful, deceptively simple text describes a handful of things anyone needs to live a rich and fulfilling life, made all the more potent by the illustrations of debut picture book artist Jasu Hu, who uses her talents to create a rich and powerful narrative describing her own journey, creative and otherwise, from a childhood in China to her arrival to study art in New York. Ultimately, she creates her own book, this book, a gift to her distant parents.★ A beautiful, poetic look at what one needs to live a good life. —School Library Journal, Starred Review

Schwartz’s poetic second-person text lists life’s essentials . . . while tracing a Chinese child’s maturation into a young artist. Debut illustrator Hu’s lush, full spreads follow the child and a swallow companion . . . through seasons and years. . . . Words and images gently align (the word warmth against an orange backdrop) in this gentle register of needs that moves through physiological requirements to successful self-actualization. —Publishers Weekly

[A] poetically reflective story. . . . The simple, lyrical lines are accompanied by beautifully detailed double-page watercolor illustrations, which are expressive of the poem's serenity in their gentle pastel tones and soft brushstrokes. . . This is a thoughtful take on needs versus wants, but it also explores the idea of belonging, both to a community and to the wider circle of life on our planet. —BooklistHoward Schwartz