Animal Friends
Maya Ajmera, author
Maya Ajmera is the creator and spokesperson for Children from Australia to Zimbabwe: A Photographic Journey Around the World and co-author of the global education guide, Raising Children to Become Caring Contributors to the World. Maya is the founder and executive director of SHAKTI for Children. In the January 1999 issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Maya was named among "A new guard of non-profit leaders...that will shape the charity world in the next century."
Maya is also the co-author of To Be a Kid and Extraordinary Girls, both brilliantly photographed books that present a picture of global diversity, tolerance, and joy. Maya's books are published in partnership with SHAKTI for Children, and a portion of the proceeds from the sales of her books go to support community-based educational projects for children around the world. It is the mission of SHAKTI for Children to teach children to value diversity and grow into productive, caring citizens of the world.
Read more about Maya Ajmera.
John D. Ivanko, author
John D. Ivanko is an award-winning photographer and author, writer, national speaker, and conservationist who has done a fair bit of globetrotting. In 1992 John jumped off the corporate treadmill at an advertising agency to journey around the world on what has become known as his "quest for understanding." One year and 29 countries later, he returned to the United States with over 15,000 photographic images and stirring accounts of his journey. He never set foot in a cubicle again.
Read more about John Ivanko.
- Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Book Award
Publishers Weekly
Two smiling boys--one Middle Eastern, one African--cuddle baby goats in the opening spread of Animal Friends:A Global Celebration of Children and Animals by Maya Ajmera and John D. Ivanko. Later, an Asian toddler kisses a guinea pig on the nose and a freckle-faced redhead holds a kitten as the text points out the features (e.g., big/small, feathers/scales) of the animals pictured in the full-color photographs.
Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Review Review
Children all over the world enjoy sharing their lives with animals of all kinds. They may have a cow in the barn or a hutch full of hamsters in their room. Their animal friend may be very small and cuddly, or large enough to ride. Whatever the case may be, every animal friend needs to be loved and cared for, and every animal will offer love in return.
This delightful board book explores the idea that the love that children have for animals is a universal thing. A boy in Africa will lavish his pet goat with the same love and devotion that an English child shows her pet cat.
With richly warm photographs and a very simple text, this board book emphasizes the fact that there is a common thread connecting children all over the world.
The sale of this title helps to support the Global Fund for Children, a nonprofit that is “committed to advancing the dignity of young people around the world.”
Board Book
ISBN: 978-1-57091-502-4
Ages: 1-4
Page count: 18
6 x 6