It's Back to School We Go! : First Day Stories Fro Around the World

Children from around the world explain the different things they do during their first day of school, in a colorful tale with fact boxes, easy-to-read text, and bright illustrations.

Grade 1-4-Large, eye-catching spreads introduce the school experiences of children from 11 different countries, including Kenya, Kazakhstan, China, and Canada. Each entry includes the student's name, age (ranging from six to nine), and place of residence. Then, in a chatty style, the youngsters tell about their first day, describing the activities and the ambience of the school as well as their particular locale's customs, foods, and family life. Bulleted lists present additional information. Stylized borders surround the text, and several colorful, realistic illustrations help bring each setting to life. A simplified world map shows the positions of the featured nations. A helpful list of Web resources includes sites for games, recipes, languages, and e-pals from around the world. Although there are many books about the first day of school, this multinational approach provides material for comparing and contrasting cultures. A good choice for group sharing or individual reading throughout the academic year.
Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 1-3. The author and the illustrator who created four books about seasonal ceremonies around the world, including The Spring Equinox (2002), take the same global approach to the first day of school. For each of 11 countries--Kenya, Japan, China, Peru, Canada, Kazakhstan, Australia, Germany, Russia, India, and the U.S.--there's a short paragraph written in the child's excited voice, accompanied by a page of facts about kids and school, including what the children eat and wear, the subjects they study, and the games and sports they play. A world map shows the countries, and lively, colorful illustrations in folk-art style combine the particulars of each child's culture with the universals of leaving home and finding a place in the classroom. Jackson makes it clear that one child doesn't represent everyone in a country, and kids will enjoy the quick snapshots and the connections. Hazel Rochman
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