If the World Were a Village

Originally published by innovative Kids Can Press in Canada, this is a remarkable and thought-provoking book. Recognising the impossibility of comprehending the impact of 6 billion people on our planet, this book gets you to imagine the world as a village of just 100 people, each of whom represents some 62 million people. By learning about the villagers we can perhaps find out more about our neighbours in the real world. So in this global village 22 people speak a Chinese dialect, 20 earn less than 65p a day, 17 cannot read or write, 50 are often hungry and 25 spend a large part of their day simply getting safe water to drink, while 24 have a TV in their homes. Such contrasts should provide fertile ground for discussion about politics, cultural diversity, economics and religion in the classroom as well as at home. ‘The people who are going to solve world crises 30 years from now are today’s children’ writes author David Smith in his note for parents and teachers. His wish is to foster ‘world-mindedness’, which he describes as an attitude, an approach to life. The publishers support the book with additional activities online, and there are comprehensive notes on the sources and how the calculations were made. Beg, buy or borrow a copy for yourself, but it should be compulsory for every school to have at least one.