Blog #29

If the World Were a Village: A Book about the World’s People

Written by: David J. Smith

Illustrated by: Shelagh Armstrong

Kids Can Press, Ltd.

2002

32 pages

            I chose this book because of the content of the book.  This book is a multicultural book in that it forces the reader to see other countries, cultures, religions, and races as a part of the same global community.  The author chose to share statistics about the world as if the globe were shrunk down to a small village of one hundred people.  Throughout the course of the book, the author compared nationalities, languages, age, religion, food, air and water conditions, school and literacy, money and possessions, and electricity that would represent the global community.  Smith wrote this book to point out other cultures and ways of life and how that if we know our neighbors and how they live, it will lead to a better understanding of them and ultimately lead to peace.

            Shelagh Armstrong illustrated this book.  The artwork was rendered using acrylic paint.  Armstrong uses double-page spreads throughout the book with formal text placement.  She illustrates many races, clothing styles, types of housing, transportation, livestock, and food to represent the theme of other cultures living all together in the same small village of one-hundred people.  I love her use of bright, bold colors of red, blue, green, and yellow.  It makes me think of other cultures around the world.

            This book is appropriate for students starting in third grade.  At this age they will be able to understand the concepts in the book and be able to imagine the circumstances of others around the globe.  Older children would especially enjoy this book because it is very eye-opening considering statistics.  I would use this in my classroom during a geography lesson to talk about different people groups across the world.  I could also use this book when teaching about statistics.  Also, this would be a good way to introduce a unit on world religions.  I like this book because it causes children to think of other people outside of the United States who struggle to fund food, water, and shelter for each day.