The Horn Book Guide

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Smith, David J.

If the World Were a Village: A Book about the World's People

32 pp. | Kids Can | March, 2002 | Trade ISBN 1-55074-779-7 $$15.95

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Shelagh Armstrong. If you imagine "the whole population of the world as a village of just 100 people," each person represents sixty-two million people from the real world. Using this device, Smith covers topics such as nationalities (only five people in the village are from the U.S.), languages (nine speak English), food ("only 24 people always have enough to eat"), and so on. Accurately detailed artwork illustrates the thought-provoking book.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2002