Our global community-What is a Community?- Rebecca Rissman

Rebecca Rissman, Our global community-What is a Community? U.S.A. Heinemann 2009, 24pp,ISBN 978-1-4329-3259-6

Age: 4-8

Rating: 3.5/5

“What is a community?” an informative picture book from the series of “our global community” discusses the common aspects that shared by most of the communities all over the world. This simple text book that accompanied with nice and interesting photographs takes children on an exciting tour of different communities around the globe. The young readers explorer to schools, music, markets, games, farms, and homes from all over the world. Readers can learn that while all people are different, we are all share common things and we all part of a global community. It’s also open the mind of the young children that people over the world doing the same things but in them unique way.

I loved the book because it’s giving the children the opportunity to learning through experience from nice pictures and simple text, in the end of the book we can find some nice activity to do with the kids like: cut out picture from a magazine that show different communities, or divide children into different communities and tell the children to make a list with them group about things that the community does together.

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The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas-Movie

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas-Movie

PG-13

Director – Mark Herman

Based on – the boy in the striped pyjamas by John Boyne

Release date – September 12, 2008

Language – English

Running Time-94min
Rating: 4.5/5

Six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, it’s almost impossible to grasp the dimensions of this horror. Story of a particular case as, for example, Anne Frank can help us to understand more clearly what happened there, personal stories increases the level of identification of the reader/viewer. And this is exactly what happened to viewers in the movie "Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" that based on the book by the same name and was written by John Boyne. The main topic is the Holocaust that happened to millions, but viewed through the personal story of one family and two children’s.

It’s a story of a German boy and a Jewish boy, bout from same country but live in different world. All of this happened during World War II. This movie provides a unique perspective on the effects of prejudice, hatred and violence on innocent people, and especially young people, in time of war.

Bruno (Asa Butterfield), eight-year-old boy living a comfortable life as the son of a senior Nazi officer. The father's promotion as commander of a concentration camp, forced the family to left them home in Berlin to remote area, where Bruno has no friends to play with. Bored and curious, Bruno violate the mother's repeated prohibitions not explore the back garden in the new house, and he travels to the "farm" which is not far away. There he meets Shmuel (Jack Scanlon, pinching in the heart), a Jewish boy on his own age who lives in a parallel existence, on the other side of the high wire fence. Bruno's meeting with Shmuel the boy in the Striped Pyjamas, wakes him from his innocence and opens his eyes to the horrors of the adult world around him. Strong friendship grows between the two boys during the time, but she end with horrifying Results.

Boy in the Striped Pyjamas "is a tale that provides a unique perspective on the effects of prejudice, hatred and violence on innocent people, and especially young people, in time of war. In this film creators found a unique way to access emotional subject, by choosing to focus on this terrible subject from the children point of view.

Although the plot takes place in Germany in World War II, it can also be relevant to these days. Many conflicts are happening in our world today, whether in Syria, Egypt, Rwanda, or other countries. With all these conflicts the story of "The boy in the Striped Pyjamas " relevant today as at any time in history.

"What is happening in this place?’ Bruno asks himself. "Why are there so many people on the other side of the fence?’ Simple questions, perhaps, but at a fundamental level, are not these the questions we must ask ourselves? This film makes sure that these questions will be asked, so no one will ever forget what they cost in the first place.

KidsGo New York Travel Guides-Timothy Jones

Timothy Jones, KidsGo New York Travel Guides, Haven books 2011, 65 pp, ISBN 978-988-18967-7-3

Age: 7 -14
Rating: 4/5

New York, New York…...

For kids who know where they're going, and for parents who don’t know where to take the kids…this is the perfect guide book that gives all the answers.

 I love the idea that you can plane a family trip with your kids and not only plain it for them. The trip planning becomes much more enjoyable, and the children feel that they are involved in taking decisions.

This exciting series of travel guides developed especially for children, these colorful, easy to read, kid-friendly guidebooks are full with everything that children and youngest needs to make them a special trip. They can find in the guide the top five must do and ideas for things to do on the water, when it’s sunny, when it’s raining and the guide don’t miss one of the most important things in New York that is “shop till you drop…”

The guide has good coverage of the: sites, museums, parks, facts and tips about the city. The guide missing cost of the site, so if you want to plane your travel on some budget you need to find the enter price for every site by yourself, one more thing that missing is what local transfer such as bus and subway can bring you to the place.

Give your child the guide before the trip, set whole family together and plan the perfect trip for everyone. Your child will feel involved in the planning and part of the dissection making enjoyment from the trip is guaranteed to everyone!  

second generation-Michel Kichka

Michel Kichka, second generation, Israel Argol-Modan 1997, 105 pp

Age:15 and up
Rating: 4/5

The father of Michelle Kischka never talked about his family - what remains of them was few photos, which little Michelle used to watch them and crying. This is how this touching autobiography and graphic book that were done by Michel Kichka start. Kischka describes with funny paintings, with a clear and confident line, his childhood as “second generation” to Holocaust parent's survivors. His father was in the camps, his mother fled with her family to Switzerland, his brothers and sisters grew up in boarding schools far away from his one. Which are both a memoir and an opportunity to settle accounts with his father. There are many shocking passages in the book - the little Michelle's dreams about the extermination camps and the survivors stories of his father on the death marches, the attitude of parents to him and his brother, Michel felt duty to please his father and to be excel in everything because his father wish is to show Hitler that he won after all, and the tragedy that happened his family several years ago. This tragedy caused the father to open up and start talking about the horrors of the Holocaust, to family, to the school children on tours in Poland and to all who would listen.

Michel Kischka found the courage after many years and decided to deal with the past of his father and family. Naturally choose to do so is by illustrations, but for the first time in his life he also wrote, and this connection is created a unique graphic novel on the Holocaust. Shocking part very softened with illustrations and sometimes uses black humor, which helped to tell his story. For example, he paints 20 characters terrifying inmates to illustrate how he wanted to find his father in pictures in books about the Holocaust, he and his brothers in family picture happy, when their thoughts are written in balloons above them express the opposite of happens, and his father introduces his diploma before Hitler, that his son is his revenge on Hitler. The paintings tell things that are not labeled and together its make full story with overt and covert levels.

Kischka was inspired by the groundbreaking book “Maus" by Art Spiegelman's, this book was first comics’ book that won the Pulitzer Prize.

Although this is a graphic novel that writes with humor the autobiographical story of Kischka is a hard and important story, its help to understand also for young adults what happened in the Holocaust, how people that survive living with the memories and the pain. Read it with your children speak with them about the holocaust and explain them why “Never no more” why we as humans can't allow it to happen to any nation.

The skin I’m In-A first look at racism-Pat Thoma

Pat Thomas, The skin I’m In-A first look at racism, U.S.A: Barrons 2003, 29pp,ISBN 978-0-7641-2459-4

Age: 4-8
Rating: 3.5/5

“Imagine a world where only people with blue eyes could go to school, or a world where only people with brown eyes could get a job." The book begins with these words.                                                                        I gave it to my seven years-old  daughter to read, and her first question was “Mommy Is this really happening somewhere?”  And from here we start our conversation about culture, races, skin colour and more.

This book encourages kids to accept and be comfortable with differences of skin colour, religion, faith and other racial characteristics among their friends and in themselves. The book are written in simple and easy language that makes sense to young children, each page is accompanied by colorful illustrations that are helped to understand the text. This book does not directly refer to any particular race or culture, the illustrations show children of all backgrounds and ethnicities. This book provides definitions of culture, race and racists, and in the book during the reading, there are questions regarding race and fairness that children can ask them self and by providing the answer we as parents can see how much they understand from the subject and also start a dialog with them. The end of the book also contains an explanation of how to use the book, glossary, suggested additional reading, and a list of resource's page for teachers or parents to extend the learning that introduced in the book.

"A First Look At " is an easy-to-understand series of books for younger children, it was written by psychotherapist and child counselor Pet Thomas  it's educational books that handling with the important topic such as: disability, safety, death, anger, friendship and many more. Those books promote interaction among children, parents and teachers on personal, social and emotional issues.

The Emperor’s New Clothes-Stephanie True Peters

Stephanie True Peters, The Emperor’s New Clothes, U.S.A. Stone Arch 2010, 40pp, ISBN 978-1-4342-1744-8

Age:6-10
Rating: 4.5/5

This graphic novel book is retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale about an emperor who loved clothes more than anything else, and spent his fortune and energy to purchase new clothes. One day while he traveled in the market, he met two weavers who promise to give him special clothes, clothes that can be seeing only by clever people. Those two weaves appear as big swindlers, are they will be able to cheat everyone?

The story is very close to the traditional telling of the classic with clear and bright illustrations, this book made from high-quality paper, and it makes the painted colours leap off the page. In the first page, the children will find the cast of characters, in the end of the story, they can find a brief glossary and a short biography of Andersen, about the retelling author and the illustrator. This graphic novel exposes the young readers to the unique genre, in a simple way with little text that not confuses the reader, it is also good for students who are not fun readers and never seem to finish a book on their own. This book will be enjoyed by both boys and girls. 

Although the story is short and amusing, he carries important moral for all, this is a good opportunity for parents and educators to create a discussion about the story, about the pressure of public and group on the individual's discretion. This story presents extreme situation where people prefer to be accepted, not to be - unique. People ignore what they see because they are afraid to be considering as fools. As society/ parents/ teachers, we need to create an atmosphere that encourages critical thinking and expressing an opinion even if it differs from the conventional and stand in opposition. In the last two pages of the book, there are discussion questions and writ prompts that can help to start the discussion

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me-Roald Dahi

Roald Dahi, The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, U.S.A. Puffine books 1993, 73pp,ISBN 978-0-141-32631-3

Age: 5-9
Rating: 4.5/5

“The giraffe the Pelly and me” is a book with fun, humor, fantasy, poem and adventure. Billy’s biggest wish is to turn a weird old wooden house into wonderful sweet-shop. One day he find out that in they place that he thought that will be sweet-shop it’s now window cleaning company.  

Three goods friends open window cleaning company, and believe it or not this is leaderless window cleaning company! Because “who needs a ladders at all when you are thirty feet tall? Not Giraffe and not Pelly! Not Me” as you can already understand those three friends are Giraffe, pelican and monkey.

Billy and the Giraffe, pelican and monkey become best friends, and when they meet the richest man in all of England the action is start…

It is an inspiring story, which opens children’s imaginations, if only for the fact that the characters are all animals which have different jobs and roles.

The book is suitable for young children, as it has a straight-forward plot, is easy to read and exciting events occur in it. The beautiful illustrations are black and white sketches and made by Quentin Blake.

This book is about teamwork, fun, dreams, children fantasy with… sweets and friendship coming true.

“All you do is to look, at a page in this book because that where we always will be. No book ever ends when its full of your friends the Giraffe and the Pelly and Me.”

Nice activate that can be done after reading the book is to speak with the children about these animals and their habitat, diet and relationship with other animals. You can also draw with the kids giraffe, paste it to the wall and mark their height on it and from time to time to show them how much they grew taller.