Every Child a Song, Davies/Martin

When you were born, a song began… 

So begins this lyrical and unique nonfiction picture book by award-winning children’s author Nicola Davies. With tenderness and heart, Nicola introduces young readers to the universal rights that every child is entitled to under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

Using the metaphor of song, the book opens with the arrival of a newborn and its unique “song,” then pans out to explore all the essential things that every song needs to thrive — love, protection, a home, a name, the chance to explore and learn. In the latter half of the book, the issues of child labor, exploitation and war are sensitively introduced to emphasize that we all must play our part in championing children’s rights and offering support to those who need it most. 

With deeply moving watercolor illustrations by award-winning artist Marc Martin, this is a book that encourages children and adults alike to speak up for young people all around the world, and to treat one another with compassion and kindness. 

Nicola Davies is an award-winning author whose books for children include Big Blue Whale, Just Ducks!, One Tiny Turtle and The Promise, which was declared one of the best picture books of the year by The New York Times. She graduated in zoology, studied whales and bats and then worked in the BBC Nature History Unit. She was one of the original presenters of The Really Wild Show. 

Marc Martin is an award-winning illustrator, artist and book maker based in Melbourne, Australia. Working with watercolor, gouache and pencil, his work is a world of vivid color, rich textures and the occasional scribble. He is the author/illustrator of A Forest, LOTS and A River, shortlisted for The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book Award 2017. 

Author: Nicola Davies 
Illustrator: Marc Martin 
Format: Hardcover, 32 pages 
Publisher: Interlink Publishing Group, Inc. (2020) 
ISBN: 9781623718725