Publishers Weekly
Sixty crisp, skillfully composed photographs follow children from all corners of the globe through a day, revealing activities that are strikingly similar yet widely divergent in the details. The juxtaposition of images is often remarkable. A photo of a girl waving from the back window of a Pennsylvania school bus appears beside a picture of a child in China's Yunnan Province, whose commute entails crossing a river in a seat suspended from a zip line. Many of the photographers (the images come from numerous sources) use light to dramatic effect: a soft glow illuminates the faces of eight girls in Gujarat, India; sunlight streams through windows as four boys stand at prayer in an Indo-nesian mosque. Supplementing Kerley's (A Cool Drink of Water) minimal, pithy text ("Recess rocks! And so does lunch") are substantive concluding notes that specify the locations, provide cultural context for the photos and-most intriguing-offer occasional photographers' perspectives: the photo of the Indian girls was taken in a refugee camp ("They were wonderful and full of laughter despite the terrible conditions"). An arresting, eye-opening compilation. All ages. (May)
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