Booklist (September 1, 2009 (Vol. 106, No. 1))
Grades 3-6. Using a similar format to that of their best-selling book, If the World Were a Village (2002), Smith and Armstrong return to take a look at the “village” of the U.S. The conceit is this: there are more than 306 million people living in the U.S., a number that’s hard to visualize. So this new America is reinterpreted as a village of 100 people. Who are these people? Where do they come from, what do they believe, and what do they own? These questions are asked and answered in an oversize format that utilizes about one-third of the spread for text and the rest for warm acrylic paintings (though not as skilled as in the previous book) showing American families at work and play. The book is excellent for getting the facts out and for disabusing some common misconceptions. Take, for instance, the picture some have of a nuclear family. In fact, in this virtual village, 20 families have 2 parents, and 7 are single-parent families (with 29 children total); 10 households have just 1 person; and the remaining 14 people live in households of 2 or more unrelated people. There are some interesting comparisons with the rest of the world as well (e.g. we are only fortieth in world life expectancy). Children probably won’t pick this up on their own, but educators will find myriad uses for this well-sourced book, which includes a spread of suggested activities and discussion questions. A whole new way to think about our country.
Grades 3-6. Using a similar format to that of their best-selling book, If the World Were a Village (2002), Smith and Armstrong return to take a look at the “village” of the U.S. The conceit is this: there are more than 306 million people living in the U.S., a number that’s hard to visualize. So this new America is reinterpreted as a village of 100 people. Who are these people? Where do they come from, what do they believe, and what do they own? These questions are asked and answered in an oversize format that utilizes about one-third of the spread for text and the rest for warm acrylic paintings (though not as skilled as in the previous book) showing American families at work and play. The book is excellent for getting the facts out and for disabusing some common misconceptions. Take, for instance, the picture some have of a nuclear family. In fact, in this virtual village, 20 families have 2 parents, and 7 are single-parent families (with 29 children total); 10 households have just 1 person; and the remaining 14 people live in households of 2 or more unrelated people. There are some interesting comparisons with the rest of the world as well (e.g. we are only fortieth in world life expectancy). Children probably won’t pick this up on their own, but educators will find myriad uses for this well-sourced book, which includes a spread of suggested activities and discussion questions. A whole new way to think about our country.
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