Back to School
Maya Ajmera, co-author
Maya Ajmera is the founder of the Global Fund for Children and 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. Maya is the president and CEO of Society for Science and the Public and the publisher of Science News. She lives in Washington, D.C.
John D. Ivanko, co-author and photographer
John D. Ivanko is an award-winning photographer and author, writer, national speaker, and conservationist. He has co-authored and contributed photos 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, Animal Friends, and Come Out and Play. John lives in Browntown, Wisconsin.
- NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Book
Kirkus Reviews
Across the globe, schools and the children that attend them are similar and different in so many ways. Organized by simple statements regarding what, where, and how children study, the book offers photos featuring a wide range of children, from Indigenous children in Brazil to children of multiple races in the United States. Although the pictures and their clear, informative captions are grouped according to commonalities, they also accurately represent how class, culture, and faith influence everything from school uniforms to what it means to be a good citizen. The final pages contain longer, more detailed text that caregivers can use to supplement the facts that are already presented in the book. The book's illustrations are carefully curated to represent a wide range of regions, faiths, and skin colors, all within an age range that seems to be middle elementary. Laudably, the children pictured in the photos span economic strata as well as geography: The book shows children of different class levels studying in the global south as well as more developed countries. It is refreshing to see images of students studying in a night school in India and a UNESCO-funded school in Rwanda juxtaposed with photographs of what appear to be private school students in India and South Africa. This edition updates a 2001 volume of the same name with a preponderance of new photos, a colorful design, lightly massaged text, and an expanded trim size.This simple, informative photo essay realistically portrays children's experiences of schooling around the world.
Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-58089-837-9
Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-58089-840-9
Ages: 4-8
Page count: 32
11 x 8 1/2