David J. Smith, illustrated by Shelagh Armstrong,
If the World Were a Village - 2nd Ed. (CitizenKid Series)
Kids Can Press, 2011.

Rating: E*

When David J. Smith wrote the first edition of this book in 2002, I thought it was one of the best non-fiction books for children that I had ever read. I was not wrong! It has been a best-seller selling over 400,000 copies and has been translated into 17 languages. Now in this 2nd edition, Smith has updated the statistics, added new activities and new information on food security, energy and health to bring this fabulous work up to date.

Designed to help a young audience understand the mega-numbers associated with the world’s population statistics, this book provides meaning for all ages. In his attempt to provide a realistic picture of the world that would be meaningful to young people, David J. Smith has presented a picture of the world as a global village of 100 people. Based on mathematical proportions, Smith presents statistics about nationalities, languages, ages, religions, food, air and water, school and work, money and possessions, energy, health, the village in the past and the village in the future. In examining the figures readers can easily see the disparities found around the world. For example "All in all there is no shortage of food. If all the food were divided equally, everyone would have enough to eat. But the food isn’t divided equally. So although there is enough to feed the villagers, not everyone is well fed - 30 people in the village do not have a reliable source of food and are hungry some or all of the time. 17 people are severely undernourished and are always hungry."(p.17) or "In one part of the village, someone buys a new car. In another, a man repairs the family’s bicycle, their most valued possession... Many people don’t have enough money to meet their basic needs." (p. 22). Statements such as these bring meaning to the state of the world during the first decade of the 21st century.

Shelagh Armstrong’s bold, colourful illustrations bring the village to life and greatly enhance the text.

A section at the end of the book entitled "Teaching children about the global village" provides parents, teachers and group leaders with activities to foster "world-mindedness" in children using the book and other resources. A final page gives information on how the calculations were made and a list of sources used to gather the information.

This book could be used in the school curriculum to introduce primary children to some of the differences we find in the world or it could be used as an introduction to a study of global issues and interdependence at the senior high level. It is an eye-opener for all ages presented in a very simplistic yet very meaningful manner.

Victoria Pennell
Vol. 16, number 4
April 2011

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.