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sarabearian's review
This is another of Dorling Kindersley’s glorious visual feasts, produced in association with unicef. We learn that the book’s creators, Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley, “travelled for almost two years to more than 30 countries to photograph, meet, and talk with the children featured in this book”, and what a marvelous job they did! Not only are we introduced to the children, their families and their lives via DK’s beautiful trademark photographs interspersed with text, but we also see what their names look like in their own handwriting and then read a little about them in their own words. A bright, colorful and highly engaging book! -Jess O.
lisavegan's review
4.0
Ah, this is a UNICEF book, which I didn’t know until I had it in hand. I’ve always liked UNICEF; every year I trick or treated for them when I was young, and as I recall, quite a bit of my own savings got contributed as well.
This is a wonderful book highlighting various children from around the world. Each child is profiled and interesting aspects of their lives are shown: their families, friends, favorite foods, customs, religion, dress, toys, what they call their mother and father, schooling, how they write their name in their language, certain other details of their lifestyles, and so much more. There are a lot of photos included. The featured children range in age from six to twelve, but siblings and child relatives both younger and older than in this range are shown too.
The book is structured by continent, then by country and by individual child. At the beginning of each continent section, there are photos and information about the area.
As with all books like this I wanted even more details, more children, more countries, but it was more comprehensive than I’d expected.
At the end, the authors/creators talk a little about their journey through the various countries and recall certain details about what happened with individual children, and I found that interesting.
I was very uplifted to see so many of these children talk about their concerns about the environment, war, education, and other important world concerns. In the end, children are children/people are people everywhere, a not unexpected message to take away from a UNICEF book.
I was very touched by many of these children’s lives and stories.
Now, I want to read Children Just Like Me: Celebrations! It’s a similar book by the same team.
Ha! I started to put this book on my bookshelves instead of putting it on the pile of books that needs to go back to the library. Perhaps that does show I’d like to own this book, in part to share it with children. This is a great book for children and also a terrific book to share with children, including those too young to read the text for themselves.
This is a wonderful book highlighting various children from around the world. Each child is profiled and interesting aspects of their lives are shown: their families, friends, favorite foods, customs, religion, dress, toys, what they call their mother and father, schooling, how they write their name in their language, certain other details of their lifestyles, and so much more. There are a lot of photos included. The featured children range in age from six to twelve, but siblings and child relatives both younger and older than in this range are shown too.
The book is structured by continent, then by country and by individual child. At the beginning of each continent section, there are photos and information about the area.
As with all books like this I wanted even more details, more children, more countries, but it was more comprehensive than I’d expected.
At the end, the authors/creators talk a little about their journey through the various countries and recall certain details about what happened with individual children, and I found that interesting.
I was very uplifted to see so many of these children talk about their concerns about the environment, war, education, and other important world concerns. In the end, children are children/people are people everywhere, a not unexpected message to take away from a UNICEF book.
I was very touched by many of these children’s lives and stories.
Now, I want to read Children Just Like Me: Celebrations! It’s a similar book by the same team.
Ha! I started to put this book on my bookshelves instead of putting it on the pile of books that needs to go back to the library. Perhaps that does show I’d like to own this book, in part to share it with children. This is a great book for children and also a terrific book to share with children, including those too young to read the text for themselves.
ceg2477's review
5.0
I love this book so much, and I’m surprised and happy to find that it still holds up after all these years since I first found and started reading it. I discovered this book when I was in mid-late elementary school, and I remember being absolutely obsessed with it (as I was with most Dorling Kindersley editions). It was my special interest. I remember that I would take this book home for weeks at a time whenever I was able to find it, whether that was in my school library, or my church library, or on a cruise ship. In fact, I think my mom even took away this book from me in like 6th grade as a disciplinary measure. My happiness was hundredfold when I received it as a Christmas gift from that same mom this year.
I don’t know… There is just something about the way that these children are depicted, so many aspects of their lives, countries, and cultures, that is so compelling, raw, and interesting to read, even if ultimately brief. I was happy and surprised to find that after more than a decade since I last read this book, I could still remember a lot of the kids’ names, where they lived, how their names were pronounced, etc. I credit that to this book. You get such a good idea of who these children are, what their personalities are like and what they care about, even at a glance. I think that this book also broadened my mind as a young kid, giving me more knowledge about and empathy towards people who were different from me and from cultures that were not my own. Indeed, these kids were children, just like me- with the same smiles, hopes and fears- and they deserved the same safety and love that I had. In my mid-twenties, this still seems as poignant as ever, and I appreciate DK/UNICEF’s work even more. It’s like a more realistic, photographed it’s a small world dropped into your lap in book form (with both sponsored by UNICEF, they had to know what they were doing there I think).
4.5 stars only because this is a book published in the mid-90s, so 35 years or so have elapsed and the world has changed- discussions of technology and other lifestyle aspects are sometimes outdated and at times can be hard to parse as someone who only lived 2 years at the end of the 90s. Few and far between, there’s also some language not really used anymore (I have not heard “Far East” for instance, used in any literature for a long time), and of course, there’s every 90s book mention somehow of the World Trade Center (yikes), but overall, this book stands the test of time and (to my knowledge) is respectful and interesting. Highly recommend, love you forever Children Just Like Me
I don’t know… There is just something about the way that these children are depicted, so many aspects of their lives, countries, and cultures, that is so compelling, raw, and interesting to read, even if ultimately brief. I was happy and surprised to find that after more than a decade since I last read this book, I could still remember a lot of the kids’ names, where they lived, how their names were pronounced, etc. I credit that to this book. You get such a good idea of who these children are, what their personalities are like and what they care about, even at a glance. I think that this book also broadened my mind as a young kid, giving me more knowledge about and empathy towards people who were different from me and from cultures that were not my own. Indeed, these kids were children, just like me- with the same smiles, hopes and fears- and they deserved the same safety and love that I had. In my mid-twenties, this still seems as poignant as ever, and I appreciate DK/UNICEF’s work even more. It’s like a more realistic, photographed it’s a small world dropped into your lap in book form (with both sponsored by UNICEF, they had to know what they were doing there I think).
4.5 stars only because this is a book published in the mid-90s, so 35 years or so have elapsed and the world has changed- discussions of technology and other lifestyle aspects are sometimes outdated and at times can be hard to parse as someone who only lived 2 years at the end of the 90s. Few and far between, there’s also some language not really used anymore (I have not heard “Far East” for instance, used in any literature for a long time), and of course, there’s every 90s book mention somehow of the World Trade Center (yikes), but overall, this book stands the test of time and (to my knowledge) is respectful and interesting. Highly recommend, love you forever Children Just Like Me
emilyusuallyreading's review
5.0
This was my favorite book as a child. I read this probably 100 times, no exaggeration. Now I work as the Kenya director for a non-profit, serving people from other cultures and other countries. I credit my early interest and passion for people around the world partly to this book!
mjfmjfmjf's review
3.0
Informative and interesting. But also a lot longer than it looks. And in the end finishing this was tedious and boring. Looking at this book repeatedly, just browsing through would probably be a lot better. The making of this book brings up so many questions of the choices the writers made. Where to go, who to show, what to ask. I wonder that it doesn't leave a lot more of the writers than they would have wanted.
hannaww's review
5.0
One of my favourite books from my childhood. I remember being so excited reading about other children around the world and how they live. I re-read it as my first book of 2017 and it's still as good. Every child should read this.