Look Where We Live!: A First Book of Community Building (Exploring Our Community, 3) - Hardcover

Ritchie, Scot

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1771381027 ISBN 13: 9781771381024

Publisher: Kids Can Press, 2015

Synopsis

In this engaging nonfiction picture book, five young friends --- Nick, Yulee, Pedro, Sally and Martin --- spend the day traveling around their neighborhood and participating in activities designed to raise money for their local library. Along the way, they learn about the people and places that make up their community and what it means to be a part of one. A map opens the story, with each of the places the children will be visiting labeled, including the gas station, retirement home, school, police station, soccer field, community garden and, of course, the library! Then each of the following spreads features a different location, detailed in a bright, busy illustration. Illustration captions expand the locations’ connections to the concept of community. For example, when they stop at a yard sale, the caption reads, ”Donating means you give something to help a good cause. You can donate money, things or your time.“ In some cases, readers are asked to find things or people within the illustrations, which adds an interactive experience.

Author and illustrator Scot Ritchie has created a rich resource for social studies lessons on places, roles and jobs within a community, and what it takes to be a responsible citizen. But there is also the potential here for even broader classroom discussions, including about the economy of a community, geography and mapping, and how the character education concepts of cooperation, responsibility and teamwork apply. The author has also included step-by-step instructions for a puzzle-making project.

About this title

About the Author

Scot Ritchie is an award-winning author-illustrator of over 50 books including Join the No-Plastic Challenge!, Follow That Map! and Look Where We Live!. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Scot Ritchie is an award-winning author-illustrator of over 50 books including Join the No-Plastic Challenge!, Follow That Map! and Look Where We Live!. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 1—This cheery picture book emphasizes the importance of community, describing the different facets of one particular suburban neighborhood. A multiethnic group of young friends—Nick, Pedro, Yulee, Sally, and others—take part in activities together as they prepare for a street fair to raise money for the local library. The neighborhood tour includes some familiar picture book community staples, such as the library and a community garden. Each section also highlights important aspects of living in a community and includes a brief comment or conversation prompt ("Working and playing together help make a community strong"). The sunny illustrations are packed with inviting details and friendly characters. Parents and teachers will particularly appreciate that Ritchie also stresses the role of retirees, local businesses, and ordinary citizens. VERDICT A strong selection for preschool collections in any community.—Rachel Anne Mencke, St. Matthew's Parish School, Pacific Palisades, CA

Edition details

• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1771381027
• ISBN 13: 9781771381024
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Ritchie Scot
• Number of pages: 32