I would use this book in the 4th grade to explain how diverse Africa is and then I would have the kids research different African countries. I would use it in 4th grade because by that point my students would be capable of doing research and creating a presentation. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. The main idea of the book was to show that there are so many different parts make a beautiful whole. By incorporating different cultures and their routines into the book, the author was able to push readers to think about all the different countries that are a part of Africa. It shows how the children in each country go about their daily lives. This helps broaden the reader's perspectives about the world. Another thing that I liked about this book was the illustrations. The illustrator enhanced the stories of each country by including different settings, typical dress, and activities for each. For example, the illustrator draws a picture of two people bundled up who are riding on horseback. They are on their way through the mountains to the market. Overall, the organization of the book engages and informs through tables and facts in the back of the book about each country. ( )

Who says kids' books can't be anti-imperialist? This picture book walks us through days-in-the-lives of children in almost all of Africa's 53 countries, teaching us about traditional Igbo dance, riddle games in the DRC, words in Setswana and Somali and Kikuyu, a million nice things you can make with cassava, andc., andc. I feel like it's a bit tough luck on Rwanda to make it carry the whole burden of representing Africa's sorrow and torment, especially when the Congo and Zimbabwe and Somalia and Sudan were all included, but I guess that was 2002 for you? And I can see why they didn't want it to be a litany of sorrow; I just finished reading this to a four-year-old at bedtime, for god's sake.

And? It put her right to sleep. ( )

Gr 1-4-The authors narrate the experiences of children at play, at school, and at home, and use realistic illustrations to explore the cultural, environmental, ethnic, and social diversity of the 53 countries that make up the African continent. They explain that in Rwanda, refugee children (many of whom have been orphaned) are making pictures of war, while in Kenya, two children race to school, dreaming of one day becoming professional runners. From vast deserts with camels in the North to lush agricultural lands in Central and Southern Africa, the widely varied terrains are described in a paragraph or two of text. Unfortunately, there are no chapter or subtopic headings to indicate immediately what country is being discussed, and there is no indication of where it is located on the continent, so it's difficult to find it on the map. While the art is lively and colorful, and the book concludes with an alphabetical listing of the countries and facts about them, this offering does have its drawbacks.-Daniel Mungai, Queens Borough Public Library, NY

From Booklist:
Ages 6-8. The title says it all. Instead of the "vanishing tribes" view of one Africa with tourists from different countries photographing the animals and primitive people, this informative picture book celebrates the diversity of the 53 nations that make up the continent today. On each page there's a quick vignette of children in one country, with a bright, happy, colorful illustration. Three girls in school uniform walk on Cairo's jammed city sidewalks. A boy in Nigeria practices the ancient Igbo dances. At the back a small note on each country fills in facts about geography, currency, population, etc. There's still the danger of generalization (kids in Kenya running to school), and there are minor inaccuracies (South Africa's Freedom Day dates from 1994, not 1974); but readers will want to go on from here to explore in depth particular countries that interest them. The essential differences and connections are here. Hazel Rochman