If the World Were a Village - 2nd Edition: A Book about the World's People (CitizenKid) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Shelagh Armstrong (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5, younger for reading aloud. To make the idea of a world of 6.2 billion people more understandable, Smith suggests that children imagine the population of the world as a village of just 100 people. That's one person representing 62 million people in the real world. Surprising, even shocking statistics follow--for example, many kids in the U. S. take computers for granted, but only seven people in the global village own one. Each double-page, picture-book spread relates a few consciousness-raising facts about such topics as nationalities, food, language, and religion. With the aid of a calculator, even younger kids can do the math; the tricky part is to get children to really understand the ideas. Armstrong's large acrylic paintings, nice complements to the text, look like stained glass windows, with blocks of intense color outlined in thick black lines. This highly informative book will get kids thinking and asking questions, and it can easily be incorporated into a middle-school social studies curriculum. The endnote suggests related activities for home and classroom. Lauren Peterson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

This highly informative books will get kids thinking and asking questions. (Booklist )

It’s an eye-opener for all. (Where Toronto )

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Kids Can Press (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550747797
• ISBN-13: 978-1550747799
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,684 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This item is part of The Kids Can Press Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Facts Dulled By Unimaginative Presentation, July 7, 2006

By	Peggy Stone (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This may be a five-star concept, but the execution leaves much to be desired, particularly in the illustrations. The best that can be said is that the pictures are deeply colored and might make a good stained-glass project. However, the almost uniformly bird's-eye view of this "global village" fails to show much difference between the haves and have-nots, or, really, to illustrate the facts of any given page. We simply see a colorful village from the air... over and over. The very imagery that might make these facts come alive in a child's imagination is missing. Some sense of interaction - this is a village, after all! - would help. Instead of faces, we are given a fly-over. Thus, the facts remain mere lists, and not emotionally compelling.

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If All Books Were This Interesting, May 12, 2002

By	Alexander Mastroianni - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Over the years IÕve received several forwards of a small essay which reduced the world population of approximately six billion to a more manageable one hundred so that crucial statistics could be more easily understood. Now the original author of this concept,David J. Smith, has really pulled off a neat trick by writing a fascinating book about this representative village of one hundred people and making it interesting to all ages. Although I am a high school history and geography teacher, IÕve also taught first, fifth, and eighth grades and I know that IF THE WORLD WERE A VILLAGE would be popular even with six-year-olds, whether or not they fully grasped the concept. Every adult with whom I have shared the book has been instantly captivated - indeed, IÕve felt bad taking it back. In my freshman geography class I canÕt get through a page without a barrage of questions and comments, and some students have already been inspired to do some research of their own. Our school has ordered a copy for every social studies classroom, and both teachers and parents will appreciate the fact that Mr. Smith, a well-respected teacher and geography consultant , has included a variety of practical geographic activities.
In addition, this book would stand on its own as a work of art; the fabulous illustrations draw the reader in to the village and beautifully enhance the story. IÕve seldom seen such a wonderful marriage of text and illustrations.
ItÕs rare that children have a chance to learn so much vital information in such an entertaining manner - this is a guaranteed best-seller.

32 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An original and interesting book for all ages, November 26, 2002

By	Evan Loeffler (Shoreline, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I purchased this book as a gift for a friend's child. I left the book on my desk and one of my colleagues leafed through it and was hooked. Before the end of the day the book had been passed through four other interested readers. They all found the book fascinating and informative.

"If the World Were a Village" encourages the reader, regardless of age, to consider the world's population as if it were a village comprised of 100 people. The reader will make discoveries regarding population, ages, religions, literacy, money, and much more. The book ends with what I consider to be the most valuable part of the book -- by very objectively educating the reader on population growth and suggesting ways to further educate children (or adults) on the subject.

There should be more children's books like this one -- excellent for children, and appealing to adult readers as well.