Windows and Mirrors on the Bookshelf: NonFiction Books at Bridge

Using revealing photography and detailed personal accounts to give unique insight into the diversity of religious faith as experienced by children across the world, this is an ideal book for families to read together.

The 2nd Edition of the best-selling book which has sold over 400 000 copies in 17 languages ? updated with new content and insights about the world's people. First published to wide acclaim in 2002, this eye-opening book has since become a classic, promoting "world-mindedness" by imagining the world's population ? all 6.8 billion of us ? as a village of just 100 people. Now, If the World Were a Village has been newly revised with updated statistics, several new activities and completely new material on food security, energy and health. By exploring the lives of the 100 villagers, children will discover that life in other nations is often very different from their own. If the World Were a Village is part of CitizenKid: A collection of books that inform children about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens.

Children Just Like Me is a celebration of children around the world, published to coincide with UNICEF's 50th anniversary. For the past two years, a photographer and teacher have traveled to five continents to meet and talk to children from many different walks of like. Children will enjoy reading about the dreams and beliefs, hopes and fears, and day-to-day events of other children's lives, understanding not just the obvious differences between one another, but discovering the extraordinary similarities. Children are encouraged to participate in a special pen pal arrangement, so that they may share their own experiences with children in other countries.

Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the Green Belt Movement, grew up in the highlands of Kenya, where fig trees cloaked the hills, fish filled the streams, and the people tended their bountiful gardens. But over many years, as more and more land was cleared, Kenya was transformed. When Wangari returned home from college in America, she found the village gardens dry, the people malnourished, and the trees gone. How could she alone bring back the trees and restore the gardens and the people? An author's note provides further information about Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement. In keeping with the theme of the story, the book is printed on recycled paper.

An Italian boy sips from a fountain in the town square. A hiker takes a refreshing drink from a mountain stream. Black-robed women in India stride gracefully through a field with brass water jugs balanced on their heads. Whether they squeeze it out of a burlap bag, haul it home from a communal tap, or get it out of their kitchen faucet, people all around the world are unified by their common need for water. Barbara Kerley brings home this point simply and eloquently in this beautiful and educational picture book that combines striking National Geographic photographs with a poetic text to show how people in various cultures use and conserve the world's most vital resource.

Explore schools around the world through the eyes of more than 40 students. \Children Just Like Me: A School Like Mine looks at different countries and cultures around the globe and reveals the lives of children as they learn at school. Broaden children's views of the world and learn about the daily lives of real students from places near and far, from Australia to South Korea. Where do children in Jordan learn? What subjects do they study in Egypt? Through the shared experiences of a school routine, Children Just Like Me: A School Like Mine highlights the differences and similarities between international schools, using school activities, classrooms, meals, and playtime in photographs and easy-to-understand text. From Africa to the Americas, students explain their daily routines in their own words and talk about what makes their schools special to them.

Almost 10 years before Brown vs. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California. An American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage who spoke and wrote perfect English, Mendez was denied enrollment to a "Whites only" school. Her parents took action by organizing the Hispanic community and filing a lawsuit in federal district court. Their success eventually brought an end to the era of segregated education in California.

Step into unique homes from around the world and discover the many fascinating ways in which people live and have lived.If you lived in the mountains of southern Spain, your bedroom might be carved out of a mountain. If you lived in a village in South Africa, the outside of your house might tell the story of your family. And if you lived in a floating green house in the Netherlands, you could rotate your house to watch both the sunrise and sunset. With intricate bas-relief collages, Giles Laroche uncovers the reason why each home was constructed the way in which it was, then lets us imagine what it would be like to live in homes so different from our own.Showing the tremendous variety of dwellings worldwide—log cabins, houses on stilts, cave dwellings, boathouses, and yurts—this book addresses why each house is build the way that it is.

Everyone loves a special occasion -- be it New Year in Hong Kong, Diwali in India, or Carnival in Rio. For Man Po, Sonu, and Janaina, the locations may be different, but the preparations, the excitement, and the atmosphere of their favorite festivals are the same. This remarkable new book from photographer and writer team Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley captures the color and vibrancy of international children's festivals. For 12 months Barnabas and Anabel have traveled around the world, meeting children and talking to them about the celebrations and festivals they enjoy. The children's stories are recorded in this beautiful book, which is published in association with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Original photography and the children's own words bring to life many of the world's major religious and local celebrations from countries as far apart as Japan and Mexico, India, and Sweden. From the dazzling costumes of the Rio Carnival to the role of the elephants in Sri Lanka's Esal Perahera, children everywhere will love learning about the festivals and the wonderful ways that these events are celebrated around the world.

Filled with delectable recipes, hands-on family activities, and traditional tales to read aloud, this extraordinary collection will inspire families everywhere to re-create the magic of Chinese holidays in their own homes. They can feast on golden New Year's dumplings and tasty moon cakes, build a miniature boat for the Dragon Boat Festival and a kite at Qing Ming, or share the story of the greedy Kitchen God or the valiant warrior Hou Yi.

Countering the prevailing, traditional story of the first Thanksgiving, with its black-hatted, silver-buckled Pilgrims; blanket-clad, be-feathered Indians; cranberry sauce; pumpkin pie; and turkey, this lushly illustrated photo-essay presents a more measured, balanced, and historically accurate version of the three-day harvest celebration in 1621.

Once upon a time, in a little village in India, there lived an old woman. Everyone in the village called her Grandma. One day, Grandma received a letter from her daughter, who lived on the other side of the jungle. "Please come and visit me," said the letter. "I haven't seen you in so long. I miss you." And so, Grandma begins a perilous journey to the far side of the jungle. Can she use her keen wit to escape the jungle animals and make it safely home?

Many years ago in Poland, there lived a rabbi who had a wife and three daughters. One day, the rabbi asks his children a powerful question: "How much do you love me?" His older daughters profess their love in gold and diamonds, but his youngest daughter, Mireleh, declares she loves her father the way meat loves salt. For this remark, she is banished from her father's home.In this flavorful Jewish Cinderella tale, Mireleh's courageous journey is peppered with a perfect blend of magic and romance, leading to a reconciliation with her beloved father.

"Once upon a time in Greece, fate left a young girl an orphan. Her stepmother was so hateful that she counted every drop of water the orphan drank! But with the help of Nature's blessings, the orphan was showered with gifts: brilliance from the Sun, beauty from the Moon, gracefulness from the Dawn and even a tiny pair of blue shoes from the Sea. When the prince comes to visit their village, he only has eyes for the mysterious beauty.

To us it is just dirt, the ground we walk on... But to Dave it was clay, the plain and basic stuff upon which he formed a life as a slave nearly 200 years ago. Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. He combined his superb artistry with deeply observant poetry, carved onto his pots, transcending the limitations he faced as a slave. In this inspiring and lyrical portrayal, National Book Award nominee Laban Carrick Hill's elegantly simple text and award-winning artist Bryan Collier's resplendent, earth-toned illustrations tell Dave's story, a story rich in history, hope, and long-lasting beauty.

Follow an errand boy through colonial Boston as he spreads word of rebellion. It's December 16, 1773, and Boston is about to explode! King George has decided to tax the colonists? tea. The Patriots have had enough. Ethan, the printer's errand boy, is running through town to deliver a message about an important meeting. As he stops along his route? at the bakery, the schoolhouse, the tavern, and more'readers learn about the occupations of colonial workers and their differing opinions about living under Britain's rule. This fascinating book is like a field trip to a living history village.

Discover Benedict drinking hot chocolate in Paris, France; Mitko chasing the school bus in Sofia, Bulgaria; and Khanh having a little nap in Hanoi, Vietnam! Clotilde Perrin takes readers eastward from the Greenwich meridian, from day to night, with each page portraying one of (the original) 24 time zones. Strong back matter empowers readers to learn about the history of timekeeping and time zones, and to explore where each of the characters lives on the world map. A distinctive educational tool, this picture book's warm, unique illustrations also make it a joy to read aloud and admire.

Whether families live in modern cities or remote villages, they share many of the same joys and challenges. Vibrant photos and engaging text depict children in many countries as they live, eat, play, work, and learn with members of their families in this celebration of diversity and of the human family.

Suitable for ages 3 to 9 years, this book helps children to explore roots, rhythms, and traditions from all corners of the earth while crafting their own art and artefacts. It includes step-by-step instructions for fifty projects including Korhogo Mud Cloth and Wodaabe Mirror Pouch from Africa.