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Children's Nonfiction General

Families Around the World

by (author) Margriet Ruurs

illustrated by Jessica Rae Gordon

Publisher
Kids Can Press
Initial publish date
Apr 2017
Category
General, General, Customs, Traditions, Anthropology
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781771388078
    Publish Date
    Apr 2017
    List Price
    $14.93
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781894786577
    Publish Date
    Sep 2014
    List Price
    $19.95

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Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 3 to 7
  • Grade: p to 2
  • Reading age: 3 to 7

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.

 

Margriet Ruurs' profile page

Jessica Rae Gordon is an illustrator, designer and visual arts teacher. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Jessica Rae Gordon's profile page

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

An attractive and informative multicultural offering.

School Library Journal

Inclusive in showing many different family structures, this large-format book offers an amiable introduction to families around the globe.

Booklist

... this quick global trip can serve as a first look at the larger world.

Kirkus Reviews

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