Rating: **** 4 stars

Sungwan So,
Yikang’s Day.

Andrey Ilyin,
Polina’s Day.

Series Child’s Day, Frances Lincoln, 2001

The structuring of an information book round a child’s day or week has long been a favourite device to help children gain a foothold in the social and cultural life in a particular country. In this new series we meet each child in the family setting, joining them at breakfast and then following them through the rhythm of the school day. Some things happen everywhere – food is prepared, work carried out and leisure activities enjoyed when school or work is finished. But there are interesting differences – in religious observance, language and in the formality of relationship.

The books begin with a map of the country with the region or town from which the chld comes marked, and end with detailed and very helpful notes, a glossary and an index. This is all sensible and useful but a series format helf too strictly can become tediously predictable. However, these books achieve individuality through the excellent photographs which communicate the texture of the children’s lives (…). The photographs sometimes suggest what is not made explicit in the written text: the photograph of Polina and her class in Polina’s Day shows that learning is a serious business in Russia.

Sensitive issues like the one-child per family rule in China (Yikang’s Day) are mentioned or implied but not considered in depth and nor would we expect this for the six- or seven-year-olds the books are intended for. It is up to the adult, at home or in school, how much of the information in the ‘More about’ sections at the end of the books is shared with young children.

Margaret Mallett