This Small Blue Dot by Zeno Sworder

A little girl explores all of the funny, strange, and wonderful things that make living on Earth so special in this beautifully illustrated children’s story.

With a strong message of hope, interconnectedness, and empowerment, This Small Blue Dot features a little girl explaining the world to her baby sister. She hits on small wonders, big lessons, and everything in between, from sharing the joy of silly dances to contemplating the nature of this “small blue dot” we all live on.

Author and illustrator Zeno Sworder, who hails from a multicultural background, wrote this story when his daughter was unable to find picture books with characters who looked like her. His precocious young narrator has opinions on plenty of things: nature and the environment, embracing difference, the power of imagination—and the trouble with broccoli.

Rich pencil and crayon illustrations conjure up memories of childhood in this celebration of who we are, where we come from, and where our dreams may take us. In This Small Blue Dot, Sworder captures not only life lessons but also the fun, often strange experience of being a member of the human family on planet Earth.

Zeno Sworder is a writer and artist who lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his young family. After studying Chinese literature and migration law in college, he ended up as a dish washer. Later, he went on to work as a journalist, an English-language teacher, a consular officer, an advocate for refugees and immigrants, and a jewelry designer. He is a lover of all stationery but has a particular soft spot for pencils. This is his first book for children.