Children from Australia to Zimbabwe: A Photographic Journey around the World - Hardcover

Maya Ajmera is the founder of The Global Fund for Children. She is the co-author of several Global Fund for Children books, including FAITH, GLOBAL BABIES, CHILDREN OF THE U.S.A., and CHILDREN FROM AUSTRALIA TO ZIMBABWE. Anna Rhesa Versola is originally from Manila, the Philippines. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has a master's degree from Duke University.

Grade 3-6. Children from 25 alphabetically arranged countries are introduced through beautiful, full-color pictures. A map of the world highlights the countries profiled. Each nation receives a two-page spread that includes a map, flag, a few paragraphs describing the people who live there, and four or five photographs. Each selection also contains additional facts: capital, language, population, number of children in the country, favorite sports, and an environmental tidbit. Finally, other countries whose names begin with the same letter are listed. The writing is unexciting, consisting primarily of brief declarative sentences, but the tone and content reflect respect for and knowledge of the concerns of children. In a particularly nice touch, the word "Hello" is written in the country's dominant language and spelled out phonetically. To represent the letter X, the authors provide excerpts from writings by elementary school students who describe the imaginary country of Xanadu. An afterword suggests books and activities that might help children explore other cultures and become a "global citizen." There is not enough substance here to do more than motivate readers to further exploration of a particular country, but perhaps that is enough.?Linda Greengrass, Bank Street College Library, New York City
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.