Children Just Like Me
Author: Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley /Unicef
Publisher: DK Publishing Inc.
Copyright: 1995
Pages: 79
Reading Level: 4
Genre: Informational/Growing up Book
Rating: ****

Summary:
Oscar Gutierrez is nine. He lives in Bolivia, and when he grows up he wants to be a soccer player. Houda Elazhar is ten. She lives in Morocco and she wants to teach Arabic when she grows. Who are these kids? Children just like us. This book is all about kids from all over the world that are just like us. Each page is represents a different country/state, with details, details and more about the child and their home. You see the clothing they wear each day, hear about the weather, schooling, work, hopes and dreams and more. There are over 160 countries represented in the book, and it is a great way to show children that though others may look different, they are just like each of us and them. Full of facts and hours upon hours of entertainment and education for children, it is exactly as the title says…Children just like everyone else.

Who would benefit from reading this?
Who would benefit…kids of all ages, especially those whom live in areas that aren’t as diverse. For me as a child, it was common to see all different groups and races of children, but for those born in less diverse areas it is a great opportunity for them to learn that everyone else, though they may look different are no different than them. At the same time it can benefit those from especially diverse places to weaken the prejudice in children.

Potential problems/conflicts:
It is very long, and there is a lot of information on each child. You may want to take this book one page at a time. Reading it too long can also leave you with an uninterested and upset child.

My Reaction:
I loved this book, but I am a nerd for auto and biographies. So learing about these kids from their own words, and seeing them as they are each day really helped me to make a connection no only with them, but with others I now come into contact with whom are from the same place or foreign countries. I would never sit and read this book all at once, but fun to read every now and again.