Children Just Like Me: Our Favorite Stories

Children Just Like Me

by Jamila Gavin, Amanda Hall (Illustrator), Barnabus Kindersley (Photographer)

A multicultural anthology of traditional stories is complemented by beautiful full-color artwork and introductions by ten youngsters representing diverse world cultures.

The whistling monster (Brazil) --
The corn maidens (Mexico) --
The coming of raven (Canada) --
Puss in boots (France) --
The simple Saame man (Finland) --
Witch of the sands (Botswana) --
The paradise city (Morocco) --
The birth of Krishna (India) --
Gulnara the warrior (Mongolia) --
Rona and the moon (New Zealand).

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

48 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1997

About the author

Jamila Gavin was born in Mussoorie, India, in the foothills of the Himalayas, to an Indian father and an English mother. Jamila has written many books with multicultural themes for children and young adults. She won the Whitbread Children’s Book Award in 2000 and was runner-up for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. Her work has been adapted for stage and television. Jamila Gavin lives in England.

Reviews

[Laura Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Our Favourite Stories from around the World’ by Jamila Gavin
Brief Plot Summary:
This book is a collection of ten stories written by different children from all over the world. Each of the stories give a distinct picture of what it is like to live in each of the child’s part of the world. Fears, hopes and dreams, daily routines, the environment and family, are all presented to the reader through the stories of the children. Starting in Brazil, the reader is taken on a journey through Mexico, Canada, France, Finland, Botswana, Morocco, India, Mongolia and finally New Zealand, where the lives of children are all interlinked through a shared experience of cultural difference.

Why I like this book:
I enjoyed reading this book because it gives children an idea of what it is like to live in different parts of the world through the eyes of other children in the world. It draws attention to the differences and similarities between children all over the world, and suggests that the reader celebrate this.

Appropriate age range:
This book is suitable for children aged between 4-11 years old.

How it can be used in the classroom:
This book can be used in literacy, art, PSHCE, history and geography:
- To teach children about cultural differences and traditions. It can be used to highlight that even though children may have different religious beliefs and traditions, or are of a different race, we are all the same. Everyone experiences the same feelings when put into certain situations etc.
- To teach children about the different art around the world – how materials are used differently because of their availability, how colour is mixed and used, different painting techniques, what art represents in different cultures etc.
- To teach children about traditional stories and their various forms. It can also be used in lessons where children are to:
•write their own traditional stories, about their lives and traditions
•predict what happens next in a story
•use descriptive language to write a story
•adapt a story
•write a story from another perspective
•explore the effect of language and punctuation

-To teach children about the different countries of the world:
•Where they are (there is a map at the front of the book etc)
•What customs they have
•How people live
•What it is like to live in the country etc

-To teach children about different historical traditions, and the impact they have on people’s lives now.

[Hypatia's Dream · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gracias a estos cuentos, realizamos un bello recorrido desde el Río Amazonas, acompañándonos de las ¨Doncellas del Maíz¨ y un astuto cuervo , pasando luego por Francia donde conocemos al ¨Gato con Botas¨, pernoctando en Finlandia para escuchar la historia de el saame, yendo en un pequeño pase cerca del Kalahari y después a ¨la Ciudad Paraíso¨, sin cansancio y con mucha motivación para seguir conociendo, se nos transporta a la India para presenciar ¨El nacimiento de Krisna¨ que nos da un preámbulo para presentarnos a ¨Gulnara la Guerrera¨ y finalmente descansar después de este laaaargo pero maravilloso recorrido culminando en un dulce sueño junto a ¨Rona y la Luna¨, una admirable antología de cuentos que proyectan cada aventura de distintas civilizaciones.

Tengo el libro pero lamentablemente está ahora muy maltratado, cosa que me enfada también, pero por fortuna pude leerlo hace tiempo y lo disfruté mucho, este libro llegó a mi gracias a mi mamá que no dudó en tomar el libro cuando varios maestros habían optado antes en tirarlos T_T.

[Dorthe Svendsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Så rart at dette er første gang jeg ser disse bøkene, de passet jo godt inn i lærerplanen når jeg var liten. Ganske så utdatert nå, men deler kan gjerne brukes i undervisningen i dag også, men da må de beukes ganske så bevisst for å ikke danne feil form for steriotypier. En flott tanke i sin tid tenker jeg. Eventyrene må jo gjerne brukes i en god kontekst, korte og fine.

[Tatiana Gomes · Rating 4 out of 5]

As histórias são giras, remetem para histórias tradicionais destes lugares e há características que normalmente aparecem neste tipo de histórias: a natureza e a necessidade de a respeitar, o medo e a bravura, a alimentação e a caça, a magia, os animais.