FYI

Just a quick note to let you know that a second edition of If the World Were a Village: a book about the world’s people by David J. Smith (304.6 SmI 2011) has recently been released.

If you're already a fan, rejoice.

If you are unfamiliar with this title, stop right now and run (don’t walk – run) to the nearest library or bookstore and check it out.

This book will teach kids about the people who inhabit this planet, in a very manageable way. To help conceptualize how many people live here and the quality of their lives, the world’s population (6,900,000,000), is transformed into only 100 people. Each person represents 69 million people in the real world. It's so much easier to grasp that 61 people would come from Asia, 14 are from Africa and only 5 come from Canada and the US. It’s easier to think about 47 people out of this 100 who don’t have enough food. It’s easier to comprehend that out of the 36 people who are of school-age (5-24 yrs.) 6 are children who work, instead.

The last pages include some classroom activities and questions for discussion that will promote and foster awareness and understanding of global issues such as access to food, clean water, health care and education. Also, there is a list of resources used for the book's data.

I would recommend this book for almost all ages but the reading level is appropriate for grades 3 to 6. Students in higher grades will find it useful and approachable if they struggle with reading or conceptualizing global issues.