If The World Were A Village of 1000 People...

If the World Were a Village: A Book about the World’s People (CitizenKid)

by: David J Smith

Amazon Price: $6.96 (as of 02/14/2012)

There are currently more than six billion people on the planet! This enormous number can be difficult to grasp, especially for a child. But what if we im In a time when parents and educators are looking to help children gain a better understanding of the world's peoples and their ways of life, If the World Were a Village offers a unique and objective resource. By exploring the lives of the 100 villagers, children will discover that life in other nations is often very different from their own. The shrunk-down statistics -- some surprising, some shocking -- and David Smith's tips on building "world-mindedness" will encourage readers to embrace the bigger picture and help them to establish their own place in the global village.agine the whole world as a village of just 100 people?

If America Were a Village: A Book about the People of the United States (CitizenKid)

by: David J Smith

Amazon Price: $10.94 (as of 02/14/2012)

From School Library Journal: As in If the World Were a Village, Smith and Armstrong help children understand large statistical numbers by collapsing the U.S. population of 300 million down to a village of 100. For example, "82 people in our village speak English as their first language, 10 speak Spanish. 1 speaks Chinese, 1 French and 1 German." Other languages that represent less than one whole person are also mentioned. Topics explored include family make-up, religions, jobs, ages, wealth, items owned, energy and water use, and health. Comparisons are sometimes made with historical data to show change and with worldwide numbers for contrast. Lively, cheerful acrylic paintings depict the diversity of our country in a somewhat idealized manner that suits the all-inclusive tone of the book. While the concept is successful in making huge numbers more comprehensible, statistics are known to be slippery, and attempts to classify people by race and ethnic and cultural groups are not always straightforward. Does the term "Hispanic" identify a distinct group? Some say yes, others no; Smith identifies the village as having 75 white members, 12 black, 4 Asian, 1 Native American, and 8 who consider themselves "members of some other race or of mixed race," noting that he's including Hispanics with whites. While readers may or may not agree with Smith's interpretations of the figures, he lists extensive bibliographic resources and provides suggestions for ways to engage children in considering their country and its place in the larger world. At the very least, the book will provoke discussion; ideally, it will inspire deeper thought and consideration of "what distinguishes America from other countries and Americans from other people."

Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update

by: Donella H. Meadows, Jorgen Randers, Dennis L. Meadows

Amazon Price: $14.20 (as of 02/14/2012)

From Publishers Weekly: Updated for the second time since 1992, this book, by a trio of professors and systems analysts, offers a pessimistic view of the natural resources available for the world's population. Using extensive computer models based on population, food production, pollution and other data, the authors demonstrate why the world is in a potentially dangerous "overshoot" situation. Put simply, overshoot means people have been steadily using up more of the Earth's resources without replenishing its supplies. The consequences, according to the authors, may be catastrophic.

Earth Ornament, Peace In Many Languages, Glass With Natural Earth Continents, 50 Rivers, 2.5 Inches

Amazon Price: $27.00 (as of 02/14/2012)

Celebrate the holidays with this peace on earth ornament that displays peace in 11 languages with the universal peace symbol.