It was an ordinary morning like any other. Twelve-year-old Craig Kielburger woke to his alarm clock and hurried downstairs to wolf down a bowl of cereal over the newspaper's comics before school. But what he discovered on the paper's front page would change his life—and eventually affect over a million young people worldwide.

It Takes a Child is a fun, colourful look back at Craig's adventures in taking global action. Craig invites young readers along on a rollicking, eye-opening journey through South Asia, learning about global poverty and child labour. Along the way, he and his friend Alam brave wild rickshaw rides, meet world leaders and befriend kids just like them with heartbreaking stories of bravery.

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Craig Kielburger is the co-founder of Free the Children. His work has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, BBC, and The Today Show, and in Time and The Economist.

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Craig Kielburger's profile page

It Takes a Child

This is the story of how Craig Kielburger, accomplished child right’s advocate, became interested in helping children. He was just a child himself when he read a newspaper article about a 12-year-old Pakistani boy who had been murdered after escaping from working in a carpet factory. Until that moment, Craig hadn’t realized all children didn’t go to school and have homes and families. Craig got some school friends together and they raised money to help children around the world. They created “Free the Children” in 1995. Craig visited South Asia and saw many children working for low wages in dangerous jobs. While there he met Mother Theresa and Jean Chretien learned of the courage of the children he had met. His question remained the same, “Who wants to help these children?”

Keilburger’s Free the Children won the Christopher Award and has been translated into eight languages.

It Takes a Child

Kielburger, 27, is the founder and chair of Free the Children. This story looks back at the journey that led him to start the organization when he was 12 years old. Meet two kids who have worked to help children abroad. Learn what steps children can take to do the same. This eye-opening read features computergenerated cartoon art.