Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-This compelling photo essay from McCarney, president and CEO of Plan International Canada, an international agency devoted to helping children in developing nations, presents the physical challenges of going to school. Spare text and beautiful images powerfully and accessibly demonstrate how environmental hazards, rough terrains, and poverty impede children from reaching their destination. Each picture speaks to the importance of education and the determination of kids around the world who are willing to risk their lives to attain it. Labeled with the name of the country where it was taken, each photograph emphasizes the stark contrast between the average American student and others around the world who traverse hazards and obstacles for the chance to get an education. VERDICT An excellent starting point to discuss diversity and culture in the primary grades.-Annette Herbert, F. E. Smith Elementary School, Cortland, NY © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
With Plan International. Accompanied by a simple text, large, dramatic color photographs capture children from many countries as they travel to school by wading across rivers, zip-lining, climbing ladders over cliffs, using a dog sled, and more. Countries--including Indonesia, Uganda, Canada, Brazil, and Haiti--are identified in tiny print sometimes obscured in the photos. Still, the message is clear: education is "always worth the journey!" (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Riding the school bus will lose some of its allure and excitement but not its value for readers after seeing how kids around the world get to school. McCarney points out that not all children who want to get an education are able to. But for those that can, getting there can be a challenge. Full-color photographs of children's journeys fill the pages. These are labeled with the country, though the black text against mostly dark backgrounds makes them difficult (and a few times impossible) to read. The U.S. is first: a Caucasian boy with a backpack and lunchbox stretches a foot up to board an iconic bus. Some children in Cambodia and Indonesia use boats to get to school. In Nepal and Colombia, students may use a rope and a zip line-like apparatus to "fly across" obstacles. Donkeys, oxen, water buffalo, and dog teams play their parts, too. Beyond the sometimes-dangerous ways that kids travel around the world, what may strike readers the most is the lengths these kids will go to to learn: some carry their own water, as their schools lack this resource; others bring their own desks; and unstated but obvious from the pictures is that going to school in many countries requires a uniform, an added expense for poor families. This is both a fascinating look at school around the world and a very subtle message to readers to appreciate what they have. (Informational picture book. 4-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
