All Kinds of Children

June 1, 1999
PreS-KIn this companion to All Kinds of Families (Albert Whitman, 1976), Simon shows that while there are many differences among people and cultures, all children have the same needs and desires. They all require food and clothing, they all like to play and listen to stories, and they all want to be loved. The simple text, enhanced by Patersons large, clear watercolor-and-pencil cartoons, imparts the message in an age-appropriate manner. Large enough for group sharing, the detailed pictures also beg poring over. Questions embedded in the text (What work do you do? What is your favorite story?) involve young listeners, allowing them input and providing an opportunity for personal comparisons. Inclusion of children from a number of ethnic groups helps enhance a sense of identification. Engaging and positive, the theme of self-recognition within diversity is neatly delivered.Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA

Copyright 1999 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 1999
Ages 3^-5. Books that can be used for discussion wouldn't seem to be much of a priority for the preschool set. But this book, besides brimming with child appeal, may serve to get young children talking about how children are both the same and different the world over. The text begins by pointing out one universal: all children have belly buttons. Simon then moves on to discuss how children need the right foods in order to be smart and proper clothing so that they can be warm. Some children live in houses that are big, and others in houses that are small, or up high, or in the water. Some children stay in the same house for a long time, and others move from place to place. Simon then begins to inject questions into the text; as she explains that some children work, she asks readers what kind of work they do and what kind of stories they like. Each two-page spread, executed in watercolor and ink, is bursting with children of all races from all countries. Depicted at work, at play, and with family and friends, the children exemplify both their uniqueness and their universality. ((Reviewed March 15, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)

July 1, 1999
Focusing on similarities rather than differences, Simon discusses what makes children the same around the world: all children have bellybuttons, need love, go to sleep at night, etc. The illustrations show young people of many ethnicities from various cultures without ever identifying what those cultures are. Occasionally patronizing, the text's didactic intent is overly apparent.

(Copyright 1999 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)