This Child, Every Child: A Book about the World's Children
by David J. Smith
illustrated by Shelagh Armstrong
CitizenKid imprint of Kids Can Press, 2011
review copy provided by the publisher
This is an important book. It is not an easy book, but it is an important book.
Without support, it will be hard for children to grasp the concepts that compare children around the world in various aspects of their lives. And it is hard to read about children in the world who don't have proper food, clean water, caring families, or access to schooling.
Which brings us back to the fact that this is an important book, because no positive changes will come for children in need (whether they live in rich countries or poor) if we look away from the problem.
The format of this book is similar to David J. Smith's other books for the CitizenKid imprint of Kids Can Press, IF THE WORLD WERE A VILLAGE
and IF AMERICA WERE A VILLAGE
. It is organized by topic: Children and their families, Children at home, Children's health, Children on the move, Children at school, Are boys and girls treated equally?, Children and work, Children at play, Children and war, Children and the future, Children's rights. In each section, he introduces us to children from around the globe who experience each of the topics differently. In addition, on each 2-page topic spread, Smith highlights a pertinent section from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (and all of the rights are listed in child friendly language at the end of the book). Also at the end of the book, are numerous ideas for using the book and the information and concepts in the book with children.When we study rights and responsibilities in our 4th grade social studies curriculum, it is often hard for 9 year-olds to relate to the U.S. Bill of Rights. But the rights that are presented in this book are their rights--the rights of children in the United States and all around the world. I can't wait to share this book with my students!
Perhaps pairing the reading with videos from the Families of the World series will be another way to add meaning to those words.
ReplyDeleteThe videos on the series share how children live in both an urban and rural setting in a country. The children are around 10 or 11 in each video. They guide viewers through their daily lives. So far there are about 25 countries include in the series. I have only viewed 3 but appreciated the window into those children's home lives, schools and culture. They made them real for my students and helped them process different without sympathy. I think it was a start to understanding and empathy.
Thank you for the encouragement! I just put it on hold at our library. Looking forward to reading it with the kids. xoxo michele
ReplyDeleteBrenda -- the videos sound like just the pairing for this book! "...understanding and EMPATHY." Yes, yes. So important!
ReplyDeleteMichele -- if you post about it, or do one of your montages, let me know! I'd love to see what YOU pair with it! (or info if you try the videos, too)