At This Very Moment (Short-listed for the 2022 Queen's Knickers Awards)

這一刻，你正在讀書，某處的鯨魚正在海底歌唱，小老鼠在晨光中醒來，蜜蜂在採花粉，小嬰兒正進入夢鄉。《At This Very Moment》以詩意的語句和溫柔節奏，引導孩子靜下來，感受當下，也想像世界正同時發生著無數微小又壯麗的故事。畫風簡潔而富韻律，是一本安靜卻充滿生命力的繪本，適合睡前共讀，也適合當作初次認識「此時此刻」與自然節奏的啟蒙書。

A book about all living things, including you and me, at this very moment.

Short-listed for the 2022 Queen's Knickers Awards

Have you ever stopped to think about what is happening at this very moment in time? In this poetic book about the present moment, Matthew Hodson explores what is happening in the natural world, at this very moment in time.

Praise for At This Very Moment

''Soothing, rhythmic, often repetitive words and distinctive illustrations make this a lovely, quiet book that radiates calm''. -- Kirkus

''Matthew Hudson has created something quite unique for a class library. A book that, by its very nature, is a chance to be still, connect and relax''. -- Just Imagine

''Told with simplicity and a variety of landscapes, this is an enchanting story''. -- My Shelves Are Full

''A lullaby of a book''. -- The Literacy Tree

''This simple yet captivating book presents pre-school readers with highly illustrated scenes of what is happening right now''. -- School Reading List

At this very moment
There's a mouse
There's a small mouse waking up in the early morning sun

And at this very moment
There's a whale
There's a blue whale singing whale song, deep beneath the sea

As you sit and read this book
Somewhere there's a plum
A plum so ripe a worm will come
And eat it for its tea

At This Very Moment is a beautifully poetic bedtime book for children ages 2 and up. Using simple but evocative language, it describes all the wonderful things that are going on around the world right now, this very second. In doing so, it asks the young reader to be present in this moment in time and to feel at one with the giant, magnificent organism that is our planet.

In an entirely organic and unselfconscious way, this book encourages mindfulness and reflection as well as a sense of marvel at the world we live in.

And at this very moment
Somewhere there's a baby
There are babies everywhere
Drifting off to sleep...

Quotes/Reviews
'Living in the moment with an awareness of the whole world.
At any one time, an uncountable number of events are happening. Just a few are included in this story that begins with “a small mouse waking up / in the early morning sun.” Tan sands split the spread horizontally, and a golden brown mouse in lower verso visually balances the golden rising sun in upper recto. At the very moment the mouse wakes, somewhere in the world a whale sings, a worm inches toward a ripe plum, and bees gather “pollen on their knees.” Children will relate to these familiar concepts lyrically described and simply illustrated, but the existential simplicity of “There's a mountain in the mountains / and there's no one at the top” is probably beyond their development. With the “Snap / Snap / Snap” of a hungry crocodile's jaws, the time reference becomes more personal midway in the story. “As you sit and read this book,” monkeys are eating, rivers are flowing to the sea, a turtle is swimming above the coral reef, and birds are making a ruckus at sunset. The story ends with the comforting thought that “there are babies everywhere drifting off to sleep.” Soothing, rhythmic, often repetitive words and distinctive illustrations make this a lovely, quiet book that radiates calm, but the simultaneous occurrence of these loosely organized events may conceptually challenge the youngest listeners, who live in their own here and now.

Both a lovely Zen meditation and an introduction to simultaneity'.
-- Kirkus

'AT THIS VERY MOMENT is an intriguing picture book that introduces the idea of many things happening at once and varied times in different places. The book is composed of many page spreads that propose things happening right at this very moment.

This book felt imaginative with so many different things proposed for animals and plants all around - happening at this very moment, while you read this book. There is a rhythm to the text that, together with the repetitive content, makes it a soothing and almost meditative read. The journey from start of day to end of day (though all happening at this moment) gives it a nice touch that feels just right for bedtime. The book begins to introduce the concepts of time/time zones and many things happening while you live your life. For children who enjoy animals and nature, the topics throughout will be fun to explore.

Each page spread has a short couple of phrases around the topic, making the pages turn quite quickly. Simple illustrations give the right amount of visual interest to allow the book to move fast. Between these elements and the repetitive text, this book would be ideal for toddlers and preschoolers, who learn though repetition and whose attention spans appreciate a quickly moving picture book.