Promotional Information

BACK TO SCHOOL invites young minds to sit in the front row and share the exciting experience of learning with kids just like themselves all over the world.

About the Author

Maya Ajmerais the founder of The Global Fund for Children. She is the co-author of several Global Fund for Children books, includingFaith,Global Babies,Children of the U.S.A., andChildren from Australia to Zimbabwe.

John D. Ivankois an award-winning photographer and author, writer, national speaker, and conservationist.He is the co-author (with Maya Ajmera) or photo contributor to nine Global Fund for Children books. With Maya Ajmera, he's co-authored the award-winningTo Be a Kid,Be My Neighbor,To Be an Artist,Back to School,Animal Friends,andCome Out and Play.

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 Rwanada 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. 
—Kirkus Reviews