People

People

Author:  Peter Spier

Illustrator: Peter Spier

Grade Level: preK-4

Genre: Non-Fiction

Have you ever looked around and noticed how we all look a bit different from each other?  Have you ever noticed something unique about yourself that you may not notice about others?  Well today we’re going to read about people from all different parts of the world and find out some similarities and differences between us all.

This book focuses on diversity and culture from all different parts of the world.  It accurately states information about different cultures and the world and shares many attributes of each culture mentioned in the story.  The author organized the text in such a way that it is easily understandable with each culture and descriptions on a different page, so the reader can follow along. The illustrations are magnificent and really give the reader a sense of all the different cultures based on how we look and dress, for example.  It shares ideas about the uniqueness of cultures around the world and the illustrations, although painted, still give us an idea of how to picture what is being talked about in the text. 

This book would be a fabulous addition to my classroom.  I think it is a great way to teach children about diversity, culture, characteristics, and uniqueness.  There are a lot of words in this book and it is not an easy read for students.  I would recommend using this book over a couple of days because it holds a lot of content that could be too overwhelming to read all in one day.  It is an enjoyable way for students to learn about how each of them are different and may come from different backgrounds.  It is important that we all respect each other in a classroom community so knowing about different cultures is a vital aspect in doing so.  This book would be a great opening to a classroom discussion on the topics mentioned earlier, including cultural diversity.

Frameworks: RL1.7 Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, settings, or events. Ask students to infer meaning and plot events through illustrations. SL2.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups a. follow agreed upon rules for discussions (e.g. gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others. c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.