Families Around the World
- Publisher
- Kids Can Press
- Initial publish date
- Apr 2017
- Category
- General, Customs, Traditions, Anthropology, General
- Recommended Age
- 3 to 7
- Recommended Grade
- p to 2
- Recommended Reading age
- 3 to 7
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781771388078
- Publish Date
- Apr 2017
- List Price
- $9.99
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781894786577
- Publish Date
- Sep 2014
- List Price
- $19.95
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
A successor to the popular Children Around the World written and illustrated by Donata Montanari, this book allows young readers to visit with fourteen children, each from a different country, to learn about their families. Based on real children, each one's story fills a two-page spread and is told in the first person, beginning with a greeting in the child's native language. From Ryan, who lives on a Texas cattle farm, to Nkoitoi, who tends the family goat in Kenya, to Baatar, who moves regularly with his nomadic family in Mongolia, there is a vast range of homes, locations, customs and activities presented here, all of it enthusiastically illustrated with bright colors and vivid detail by illustrator Jessica Rae Gordon. There is variety in the heads of the families as well: a single parent, multiracial parents and same-sex parents are all represented.
For all the children's different experiences, however, it is clear how much their lives have in common with one another, and likely with the book's readers. The love they have for their family members, the joy they find in play and the beauty they see around them wherever they live are experiences that cross borders. This is a wonderful, uplifting global studies title perfect for exploring cultures and geography. It would also be useful for a social studies unit on families and family relationships. Adding to its value as a teaching tool are suggestions for lesson plans built around the book, as well as a glossary and pronunciation guide for foreign words.
About the authors
Margriet Ruurs is the award-winning author of forty books for children. Passionate about literacy, she writes children's and educational materials and conducts author visits and writing workshops at international schools around the world. Her picture book biography A Brush Full of Colour: The World of Ted Harrison won the Canadian Children’s Literature Roundtables Information Book Award and the Crystal Kite Award, and was nominated for several others. Born in the Netherlands, Margriet raised her family in the Yukon, Canada. Today, when she isn't travelling, she runs a booklover's bed and breakfast on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia.
Jessica Rae Gordon is an illustrator, designer and visual arts teacher. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Awards
- Winner, Best Children's Books of the Year , Bank Street College
Editorial Reviews
Your wanderlust-filled kids will make 14 friends from all over the world and get acquainted with their families, too.
Today's Parent
Inclusive in showing many different family structures, this large-format book offers an amiable introduction to families around the globe.
Booklist
An attractive and informative multicultural offering.
School Library Journal
... this quick global trip can serve as a first look at the larger world.
Kirkus Reviews
Other titles by
Where We Live
Mapping Neighborhoods of Kids Around the Globe
Come, Read With Me
School Days Around the World
Ghost of the Mill House
Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature
Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature Read-Along
Bus to the Badlands
Elephant Keeper, The
Caring for Orphaned Elephants in Zambia
Birthdays Around the World
Stepping Stones / حَصى الطُرُقات
A Refugee Family's Journey / رحلة عائلة لاجئة