The Barefoot Book of Children 2017

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

★ "A lyrical exploration of humankind that strikes a lovely balance between celebrating individuality while recognizing the rewards of community" -- Publishers Weekly, starred review



Every life is a story.

It's easier to understand someone when you know their story.



From enjoying special days to trying on silly hats, children around the world celebrate the same big ideas and everyday moments. This ground-breaking picture book encourages meaningful conversations about diversity and inclusion, and connects kids to others across the globe. 15 pages of endmatter dive deeper into the illustrations and themes in the book to spark discussion Depicts kids of a wide range of shapes, sizes, races, abilities and lifestyles from countries and cultures all over the world.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Mixing reader-directed questions with statements of fact, Strickland and DePalma seek to get children thinking, both about their own lives and the lives of their peers across the globe. In pages devoted to families, food, bodies, language, and more, Dean's vivid acrylic paintings highlight the similarities and differences among the lives of children far and wide-those with adoptive or gay parents, multiracial families, and engaged in work, play, and creative exploration. The authors don't delve too far into specifics in the main narrative ("Some people worship. Some people pray. Some people meditate"), but a closing section goes into substantial detail regarding the languages, religious celebrations, activities, and foods from the preceding pages. It's a lyrical exploration of humankind that strikes a lovely balance between celebrating individuality while recognizing the rewards of community. Ages 3-8. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-Strickland's latest selection about children around the world begins as an easy picture book and ends as a nonfiction title with explanatory back matter for elementary schoolchildren. As the acyclic illustrations zoom in on a variety of global locales, details about where and how children live come into focus. After the interiors of five different homes are shown, a variety of families are depicted eating, playing, and spending time together. They include individuals in wheelchairs and LGBTQ families. The book is interactive and broad in scope, with each page containing questions ("Which languages do you speak?") and illustrations of children of all ages. VERDICT An excellent introduction to cultural diversity for public and school libraries and elementary classrooms. Perfect for geography and social studies lessons.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, Alta. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Using a rich array of context clues and detailed illustrations, this picture book highlights the shared experiences of children around the world. Unlike other books about global diversity, this title focuses on common elements of humanity, without first assigning them a label. Rather, general scenarios are introduced (everyone opens their eyes in the morning; everyone needs somewhere to live, someone to care for them, a place to play, a place to be quiet and reflect) and illustrated with a variety of painted scenes depicting racial, cultural, and geographic differences. Only after immersing readers in the unique and fascinating everyday lives of everyday children (It's easier to understand someone when you know their story), do the authors offer specific information on the book's illustrations, such as the different homes, hats, and foods featured. The text is unembellished and occasionally poetic, and the artwork is filled with details that will bring new discoveries with every reading. This is an ambitious book that succeeds in capturing all manner of diversity of the human species.--Chaudhri, Amina Copyright 2017 Booklist

Horn Book Review

This enchanting book examines the tenet that while people worldwide have unique life experiences, we are all more alike than we are different. The musing text about everyday life of children around the world--touching on language, food, clothing, play, appearance, and more--is illustrated with colorful, precise acrylic paintings. Extensive back matter includes many details about culture and customs in our global village. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

A book to engage children in thinking about their peers the world over.The simple text declares childrens needs and wants (homes, families, play, work, food, water) and then asks readers to think about their own lives in comparison to those depicted. Religion and beliefs are mentioned in universal ways: Some people worship. Some people pray. Some meditate. Some like quiet time to think. Some people prefer to take life as it comes. The glowing acrylic double-page spreads employ different layouts to add visual interest. Many small vignettesin circles, rectangles, triangles, even drops of waterdepict children from different cultures doing similar activities. Occasionally there is a large painting, such as the one about languages and communication set in a railway station, with speech bubbles indicating many languages. The translations are included in several pages of backmatter that provide further information about each spread, vital to taking this book beyond its initial first look at global diversity. Though the book omits mention of the wars (there are parents shown in uniform) and refugee situations that children face in some places, this volume should be dipped into again and again, as children are able to absorb more details. Readers may find themselves consulting a separate map, as the one included lacks sufficient detail. Definitely add this to the mix to create interested world citizens. (Informational picture book. 6-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.