To Be a Kid

Children's Literature

Colorful photographs of kids from around the world fill the pages of this board book. We see kids being carried, cuddled kissed and doing the types of things that are supposed to be part of a normal, happy childhood. Kids are going to school to learn to read and write; they play with friends and pets and so much more. The outfits they wear may be different, their skin color may be any shade and the language they speak not the same as the readers. It makes no difference, because this little book shares the joys of childhood and opens the world up to kids so they can see that no matter what their color, race or religion, kids are pretty much the same everywhere. 2004 (orig. 1999), Charlesbridge, Ages 2 to 5.
—Marilyn Courtot

Children's Literature - Tracy Defina

Children will love this beautiful book filled with photographs of kids being kids all around the world. They'll quickly see that it doesn't matter where you live, what color you skin is or what language you speak; kids all love the same things. Playing board games in France is just as much fun as in the United States. Dancing your heart out is just as wild in Ireland as in the Philippines, even when the costumes are different. A cool snack on a hot day does the trick whether you are in Bolivia or Denmark. Kids all over the world walk home together, share stories, spend time with family and take care of animals. The photographs in the book are lovely. Real kids and their world come to life as the photographer catches them in all kinds of action in forty countries around the world.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3-From Antigua to Oman, children from a variety of countries are represented in this attractive album. Two to three photographs on each page show the youngsters engaged in a similar activity. The simple, repetitive phrase "To be a kid means..." flows well as an introduction to each set of pictures and follows with a brief description of the activity portrayed. The large and colorful photographs of mostly smiling children imbue the book with a sense of vitality and optimism. The authors successfully convey the idea that children from diverse cultures remain singularly constant in their creative play and love for family and friends. To Be a Kid is remarkably similar to Ajmera's previous publication Children from Australia to Zimbabwe (Charlesbridge, 1997)-even to the point of including a photograph of the same girl from Ecuador taken at a slightly different angle-and compares favorably with Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley's Children Just Like Me (DK, 1995). However, unlike the latter title, it does not contain any factual information about the countries or cultures represented in the book.-Paul Kelsey, East Baton Rouge Parish Public Library, LA

Kirkus Reviews

Harking directly back to Edward Steichen's classic Family of Man (1955, 1983) in design and tone, this portfolio of full-color photographs captures children around the world joyfully engaging in common pursuits. The photos, captioned only by their countries of origin, are grouped thematically, linked by a few words of text-"To be a kid means playing ball running races. or playing a board game"-and depict clean, well-kept young people busy, for the most part, with shared activities. A follow-up essay reinforces the message that the lives, needs, and goals of children the world over are very similar, though the details may differ. Without descriptive notes, many of those details may be lost on viewers, but the theme is a worthwhile one, appealingly presented. (map) (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-9) .