All of Us: A Young People's History of the World

An inclusive and expansive telling of the history of civilization from the beginning of time, by one of France's most beloved children's authors


This book is about our history. Not the history of kings, queens, chiefs, emirs, great moguls, emperors, tsars, presidents, or dictators, but our own: the history of the men, women, and children who peopled the earth. It is a long story that began more than one hundred and fifty thousand years ago and continues today. Despite dark times, wars, and conflicts, we invented, worked, created extraordinary things, and transformed the world. Although we were often led to turn against one another, we also created strong bonds between ourselves. And we had fun too, dancing and singing and making music! Let’s take a look at how our history unfolded on our earth, from the beginning to the present, without giving more weight to one country than another. What will we see?

Yvan Pommaux was born in 1946 in Vichy and attended the École des Beaux-Arts de Clermont-Ferrand et de Bourges. He is an acclaimed children’s book author, illustrator, and comic-book artist. He received the Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris in 1985 and the Prix Sorcières in 2015 for All of Us.

Christophe Ylla-Somers is the son-in-law of Yvan Pommaux. He is also a singer, DJ, and historian of the Middle Ages.

Anna Lehmann has translated selected songs from Patrick Modiano’s Fonds de tiroir for Harper’s Magazine. Her translation of Yvan Pommaux’s All of Us for The New York Review Children’s Collection is her first book-length publication. She lives in New York City.