School Days Around the World

School Days Around the World {Book Review}

What are schools like in other parts of the world?

School Days Around the World by Margriet Ruurs discusses fourteen students at thirteen schools around the world. The students and schools vary in many ways and children will enjoy comparing their school experience to the children in the book. Even thought there are huge differences in their environments, all the children share similar desires to learn, read and play with others.

Ruurs introduces real students to relate the stories. I like that the focus is on the person and their story versus the generic example or stereotyping.

This book includes a nice cross section of school times including urban, rural, large, small, homeschooling, and boarding school. This book would be great just as a read aloud to spark discussions or has a supplement to unit studies on different cultures and ways of educating.

Limited lesson plans are offered at the end of the book, which include discussion questions and additional learning activities.

Book: Description

Author Margriet Ruurs begins this engaging informational picture book by posing an intriguing question: “What is a school? Is it a building with classrooms? Or can it be any place where children learn?” The fascinating stories that follow will expand how young readers think of school, as they learn about the experiences of real children in thirteen different countries around the world. From Marta in Azezo, Ethiopia, and Luciano in Venezuela, to Alina in Taraz, Kazakhstan, and Lu in Shanghai, China, the children who are profiled live in places that truly span the globe. However, while there are huge differences in their environments, all the children share similar desires to learn, read and play with others. Alice Feagan’s charming cut-paper collage artwork further enhances the idea of a global community by featuring smiling, enthusiastic children’s faces, which are equally joyous and filled with life in every situation. As with all the titles in the popular Around the World series, using a familiar concept such as going to school is a perfect way to introduce children to other cultures and places in social studies classes. The author has provided several resources at the end of the book, including discussion topics and a list of organizations that help children access education. A world map at the beginning of the book shows the location of each of the countries, and a glossary contains definitions of the foreign words. These, along with a table of contents, make useful tools for familiarizing young readers with book navigation.

For more information on this book, visit your local bookstore or publication house. You can also purchase a copy of the School Days Around the World book on Amazon.

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned in this article in exchange for my honest opinion.  Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I may receive a small compensation. Regardless, I will only recommend products or services I use personally or believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 
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