An engaging look at some of the world's most unusual schools. At a school that sits on the edge of the Sahara, students are learning to speak English from a teacher who stands in front of a Webcam in North America. These students are learning in a virtual classroom. In another part of the world, kids aren't waiting to ride the bus to school - they are waiting to hop in a boat that will take them to a school that floats on a river. And some kids don't mind heights, especially those who attend a school on the slope of a mountain in the Himalayas, in one of the most remote corners of the earth. Margriet Ruurs contacted teachers and volunteers, many of whom took cameras in hand to photograph their schools and students. In this lively photo-essay, readers get to know students - from the arid plains of southern Afghanistan to the rain forests of Guatemala - who are pursuing their dreams of a brighter future.
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 1–5—From stories and photos she received from people around the world, Ruurs chose 13 school situations to share with readers. She shows the great contrasts that exist, even in a geographic region, where an international school in Malaysia has a library with 16,000 books while the Rajgir Monastery School in nearby Myanmar has "almost no teaching materials such as maps, posters, or even books." The book also demonstrates that children learn in a variety of settings by featuring a boarding school in Scotland and classes provided by radio and the Internet in the Australian outback. An inset box on each spread includes a map, flag, and a few facts about the featured area. Ruurs mentions the work of charitable organizations and volunteer groups in countries including Guatemala and India and notes setbacks such as the destruction of a school in Afghanistan. Still, the overriding tone is optimistic that more children, girls as well as boys, will participate in education around the world. This book might also be paired with Listen to the Wind (Dial, 2009), Greg Mortenson's personal account of establishing schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato END
Review
The subtitle sums up this book more accurately than its title, as its scope is much broader than one school or one ecosystem. Organized alphabetically from Afghanistan to a "World" school aboard a hospital ship, the book introduces 13 schools, including home schools in Australia and the U.S., a floating school on a Cambodian lake, a village school in Guatemala, a monastery school in Myanmar, and one operated by a global charity. Each double-page spread includes several paragraphs of text, four color photos, and a fact box with information about the country, a drawing of its flag, and a map. Typically, the text introduces the school, its setting, and the community, then talks about one or two students and sometimes includes a comment from one of them...the book as a whole gives a good sense of the vastly different educational experiences of children around the world. --Booklist
Accessible and inspiring, the depictions of these 13 schools are impressive in scope, and the sheer number of similarities and differences between the schools makes for a fascinating read. An excellent choice for the classroom and a strong introduction to such topics as global diversity and the importance of education. --Kirkus Reviews
Accessible and inspiring, the depictions of these 13 schools are impressive in scope, and the sheer number of similarities and differences between the schools makes for a fascinating read. An excellent choice for the classroom and a strong introduction to such topics as global diversity and the importance of education. --Kirkus Reviews
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More About the Author
Books - they are windows to the world and truly open doors. I have written over 27 books for children and read books all the time - from Avi to Zolotow.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children,
By Yana V. Rodgers "econkids.rutgers.edu" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: My School in the Rain Forest: How Children Attend School Around the World (Hardcover)
Join Margriet Ruurs for a trip around the world to see the wide variation in school facilities and resources to which some children have access. The reader can learn about children attending school behind a wall in Afghanistan, Cambodian children who paddle their own small boats to a floating school, students in a remote Indian village who sit on a roof-less dirt floor for their lessons, and Nepalese children who attend a boarding school high in the Himalayas.
Not only does a country's general level of economic development play a role in the type and quality of schooling to which children have access, but parental preferences can also determine if children are home-schooled, go away to boarding school, rely on the internet for distance learning, use public transportation to get to school, or attend school in a more unusual setting. This book provides a refreshing look at school resources and emphasizes the importance of getting an education no matter where in the world one lives.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Grandma's Gift,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: My School in the Rain Forest: How Children Attend School Around the World (Hardcover)
When I gave "My School in the Rain Forest" to my grandson (age 10) for his birthday, along with other gifts, he looked through it quickly and said he would be taking it to school as he knew his teacher would also love it. After he read it, he did take it to school, and the whole class was able to enjoy this wonderful, entertaining, and informative book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Will appeal to children age 7-9,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: My School in the Rain Forest: How Children Attend School Around the World (Hardcover)
"My School in the Rain Forest" (part of the Boyds Mills Press 'How Children Attend School Around the World' series) is a nonfiction hardcover book with color photos that teaches students age 7-9 about children going to school all over the world. There are pictures and chapters about children in school in Scotland, Egypt, Afghanistan, Nepal, Cambodia, Guatemala, Kenya, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Australia, and the United States. A handy map in the introduction shows where all these children live on the globe. Each country has an informative insert that gives pertinent data such as the country's capital, estimated population, flag, and description of its past and present, plus languages spoken in the country. children travel in many different ways to attend their schools. Some go by boat, some even attend school on a ship. Others walk, or attend the School of the Air or virtual school on computer. Some go to school in a jungle, or under a tree. All children learn, and learning in different settings and different languages is a fascinating subject. "My School in the Rainforest" will appeal to children age 7-9.
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