Me and the World

December 1, 2020

Gr 3-5-This book contains colorful, varied infographics that discuss topics such as common names, breakfast foods, sports, and religions. The information is presented in various forms, including color-coded and labeled maps, graphs, percentages, and labeled and captioned illustrations. There are many opportunities to compare life around the world. Each page features short, simple text and is narrated by a fictional young girl named Luca, who lives in Barcelona, Spain. Luca's narration misses the opportunity to make such comparisons, raise questions, or report surprising discoveries. The lack of both an author's note and illustrator's note are also missed opportunities to discuss how the data was collected and how decisions were made about presenting it. Still, for those who enjoy looking at infographics or want examples of how to use them to present information, this title should be of interest. Luca is depicted with glasses and pink skin. VERDICT While the written text could do much more to support the reader's understanding of infographics and how to interpret them, the infographics themselves are interesting to study and contemplate. A teacher, librarian, or parent could help children examine, analyze, and use this information.-Myra Zarnowski, City Univ. of New York

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