To Be a Kid

by Maya Ajmera, John D. Ivanko

Overview

Celebrate the diversity and universality of childhood and the adventures of growing up around all the world. With a forward by Chris and Martin Kratt of PBS fame, To Be a Kid invites readers to share in the commonality of families, school, play, creativity, animals, and friends worldwide. Ajmera and Ivanko’s powerful text, paired with colorful and expressive photography, unites children as they play, learn, and spend time with family and friends. From Botswana to Haiti, Mongolia to Cuba, To Be a Kid, captures everyday moments across the globe. Kids, no matter where they are from, share these same wonderful adventures because at the heart of it a kid is just a kid.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780881068429
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	07/01/2000
Series:	Global Fund for Children Books Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	119,031
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

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.

John D. Ivanko is an award-winning photographer and author, writer, national speaker, and conservationist.He is the co-author (with Maya Ajmera) or photo contributor to nine Global Fund for Children books. With Maya Ajmera, he's co-authored the award-winning To Be a Kid, Be My Neighbor, To Be an Artist, Back to School, Animal Friends, and Come Out and Play.

Editorial Reviews

PreS-Gr 3-From Antigua to Oman, children from a variety of countries are represented in this attractive album. Two to three photographs on each page show the youngsters engaged in a similar activity. The simple, repetitive phrase "To be a kid means..." flows well as an introduction to each set of pictures and follows with a brief description of the activity portrayed. The large and colorful photographs of mostly smiling children imbue the book with a sense of vitality and optimism. The authors successfully convey the idea that children from diverse cultures remain singularly constant in their creative play and love for family and friends. To Be a Kid is remarkably similar to Ajmera's previous publication Children from Australia to Zimbabwe (Charlesbridge, 1997)-even to the point of including a photograph of the same girl from Ecuador taken at a slightly different angle-and compares favorably with Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley's Children Just Like Me (DK, 1995). However, unlike the latter title, it does not contain any factual information about the countries or cultures represented in the book.-Paul Kelsey, East Baton Rouge Parish Public Library, LA

School Library Journal

Harking directly back to Edward Steichen's classic Family of Man (1955, 1983) in design and tone, this portfolio of full-color photographs captures children around the world joyfully engaging in common pursuits. The photos, captioned only by their countries of origin, are grouped thematically, linked by a few words of text-"To be a kid means playing ball running races. or playing a board game"-and depict clean, well-kept young people busy, for the most part, with shared activities. A follow-up essay reinforces the message that the lives, needs, and goals of children the world over are very similar, though the details may differ. Without descriptive notes, many of those details may be lost on viewers, but the theme is a worthwhile one, appealingly presented. (map) (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-9) .

Kirkus Reviews