‘Jesse and the Seven Wonders of the World’

The “New” seven wonders of the world, voted on and announced in 2007 are: the Great Wall of China; the village of Petra in Jordan; Rome’s Colosseum; Machu Picchu in Peru; Mexico’s Chicken Itza; the Taj Mahal in India, and Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer.

This original wonder list dates back many centuries. “Some readers might wonder why there are seven wonders of the world, not eight or ten, or even a hundred. In ancient Greece, when the seven wonders were first chosen, ‘seven’ was thought to represent perfection.”

This story, “Jesse and the Seven Wonders of the World,” told in verse, follows Jesse and Pilot, his one-eyed dog, as they dream-travel to the seven wonders Jesse is learning about in school from his teacher Mrs. House.

For example, at Petra “Pilot could hardly believe his eye / as he followed the camel’s tassels, / to see the multicoloured sand / and the grandest of sandcastles.”

The beautiful illustrations match each “wonder” with its own palette.