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Rating: 
Summary: Read this With a Child Again and Again!
Review: Both thoughtful and equally stimulating, "If The World Were a Village" succeeds in opening the eyes and the minds of young readers through a quite creative format. As a father of two children, the book offers several topical "lenses" to discuss and really share in the wonderful effort to better understand some of these very timely and also profound issues so relevant for each and everyone of us. If the mark of a good book is to provoke our thinking on a topic and engage our minds - adult and child - you've got the perfect thing right here.
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Summary: A book that transcends, bringing understanding to all ages.
Review: David Smith's marvelous book, "If the World Were a Village" is a superb example of Information Architecture in its use of scale to make the difficult concept of global human metrics understandable. This children's book easily transcends its genre, bringing meaning and understanding to readers of all ages.
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Summary: Required reading
Review: Every home, school, and public library -- and every child -- should have this book. In just a few pages, it places those of us who live lives of privilege in our true place. My children were shocked to learn that they are among the wealthiest people in the world.
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Summary: Great concept, too bad it lost site of it's goal...
Review: I am a fourth grade teacher and discovered that "If the World Were a Village" provides endless teaching and learning opportunities. This book led to one of the most inspirational projects that has taken place in my classroom of thirty years. The students graphed selected village data and, following their questions and curiosity, went on to develop a North Dakota Village of 100. The awareness, reaction and understanding that took place was amazing!
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Summary: A Wonderfully Evocative Global Perspective!!!
Review: I came across this book totally by chance while looking for a gift for my grandchildren. I couldn't put it down! I like to think that I have some sense of our place in the world, but this book really nailed it down in ways that were at once dramatic and sobering to contemplate. My grandchildren loved it and seemed for the first time to grasp a global perspective. No book has been more successful with all three generations of our family nor has any generated more interesting dinner table conversation!
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Summary: An original and interesting book for all ages
Review: I purchased this book as a gift for a friend's child. I left the book on my desk and one of my colleagues leafed through it and was hooked. Before the end of the day the book had been passed through four other interested readers. They all found the book fascinating and informative."If the World Were a Village" encourages the reader, regardless of age, to consider the world's population as if it were a village comprised of 100 people. The reader will make discoveries regarding population, ages, religions, literacy, money, and much more. The book ends with what I consider to be the most valuable part of the book -- by very objectively educating the reader on population growth and suggesting ways to further educate children (or adults) on the subject. There should be more children's books like this one -- excellent for children, and appealing to adult readers as well.
Rating:
Summary: An original and interesting book for all ages
Review: I purchased this book as a gift for a friend's child. I left the book on my desk and one of my colleagues leafed through it and was hooked. Before the end of the day the book had been passed through four other interested readers. They all found the book fascinating and informative. "If the World Were a Village" encourages the reader, regardless of age, to consider the world's population as if it were a village comprised of 100 people. The reader will make discoveries regarding population, ages, religions, literacy, money, and much more. The book ends with what I consider to be the most valuable part of the book -- by very objectively educating the reader on population growth and suggesting ways to further educate children (or adults) on the subject. There should be more children's books like this one -- excellent for children, and appealing to adult readers as well.
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Summary: If All Books Were This Interesting
Review: Over the years IÕve received several forwards of a small essay which reduced the world population of approximately six billion to a more manageable one hundred so that crucial statistics could be more easily understood. Now the original author of this concept,David J. Smith, has really pulled off a neat trick by writing a fascinating book about this representative village of one hundred people and making it interesting to all ages. Although I am a high school history and geography teacher, IÕve also taught first, fifth, and eighth grades and I know that IF THE WORLD WERE A VILLAGE would be popular even with six-year-olds, whether or not they fully grasped the concept. Every adult with whom I have shared the book has been instantly captivated - indeed, IÕve felt bad taking it back. In my freshman geography class I canÕt get through a page without a barrage of questions and comments, and some students have already been inspired to do some research of their own. Our school has ordered a copy for every social studies classroom, and both teachers and parents will appreciate the fact that Mr. Smith, a well-respected teacher and geography consultant , has included a variety of practical geographic activities.
In addition, this book would stand on its own as a work of art; the fabulous illustrations draw the reader in to the village and beautifully enhance the story. IÕve seldom seen such a wonderful marriage of text and illustrations.
ItÕs rare that children have a chance to learn so much vital information in such an entertaining manner - this is a guaranteed best-seller.
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Summary: Creating "World-Mindedness" in the Classroom
Review: We love this book! We have host international teachers from all over the world and have given them each a copy to use in their classrooms while teaching in the US. The reading level states 9-12, but our teachers have used it at all grade levels. Thank you for sharing the world with us and giving us such a great perspective.
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Summary: An Appreciated Gift
Review: We received our first copy of this book as a gift last year. It provoked a most interesting conversation in our family (which includes two teenagers). Soon after, we took our copy on a family visit and it generated another lively discussion. We left our copy with our hosts and ordered another one for ourselves. And, we realized that this book could be a first-rate gift for anyone, anytime. Since then, it has become our standard "house present" when visiting. It is universally appreciated and commented on long after its initial receipt. It's a unique gift that delightfully engages giver and receiver immediately.
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