Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The husband-and-wife coauthors explore how children from 13 countries travel to school. The accounts, which are fictionalized but are based on the commutes of actual children, are told in vivid first-person narratives, which Muñoz conveys in gentle, earnest illustrations. A boy in Pakistan rides a rickshaw "so full that all of us can barely fit inside." In Tokyo, a boy travels via subway, carrying a yellow flag so he can be spotted if he gets lost. Many of the journeys will be eye-opening to readers: in Bhuton, a girl walks three hours on foot to get to her school. Images made to resemble snapshots show each child in class and ready to learn, but readers will grasp the subtle message about how profoundly different a universal experience can be. Ages 4-8. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-The focus of this nonfiction picture book is not on the kind of schools students attend, but rather how they make their way there each day. Readers are transported around the globe to experience a variety of modes of transportation and the challenges that can arise. The authors focus on the determination demonstrated by children seeking an education, which will inspire resilience and empathy in readers. Most of the continents are covered (save Australia and Antarctica), and a note at the beginning of the book states that these profiles are not wholly representative of any country or culture but are composites and fictionalized vignettes. Some of the episodes are more engaging than others (in Sichuan Province, China, students climb down a sheer rock-face using rope ladders and the illustration captures the precarious nature of this trip especially well). Sidebars provide additional factual information. VERDICT A useful addition to most school collections, especially to emphasize the value of an education to students.-John Scott, Friends School of Baltimore © Copyright 2018. 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 Kirkus Book Review
U.S. readers who jump on a bus or walk a few blocks will marvel at what kids around the world will do to get an education.In Canada, the child narrator helps his sisters onto the toboggan and then climbs on the snowmobile behind Grandpa. The four cross the frozen lake to the closest school, in Minnesota. In Bolivia, a telefrico connects two of the highest cities in the world, and it's used daily by over 3,000 students. Other methods include a rickshaw (depicted here as a vehicle that looks like a cross between a jeep and an SUV) in Pakistan, a Japanese bullet train, and a motorbike (one adult and four children onboard!) in Cameroon. The Ethiopian and Ukrainian children face political and social dangers on their walks, and the rural Kenyan students must avoid Africa's Big Five. Each journey's description is allotted a double-page spread with a large illustration and the country's flag. The sidebars at the edges, though, are often a jumble of unrelated facts that, though positive and possibly surprising to U.S. readers, add little. Many of the tales beg for more detail, and readers will feel the lack of a map and glossary. Backmatter includes a select bibliography of 49 resources and an update of some dangerous journeys previously broadcast on the internet. An authors' note explains that the stories are composites and that they do not represent an entire country or even one specific season. This will pique readers' curiosity (and hopefully their gratitude at their privilege) but does not answer all the questions they will surely have. (Informational picture book. 5-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
