Borders: Understanding the Lines That Unite and Separate Us

by Karim Ressouni-Demigneux, Karine Maincent (Illustrator)

72 pages, Hardcover

Reviews

[Kirin]

Whether it is a country's boundaries, denying a people freedom to move about, political chants about the wall on the southern border, conversations about migrants and immigrants, political attacks about legals and illegals, and the humanity and laws of it all, I find myself thinking about "borders" a lot. So when I saw this book, I couldn't wait to gather my kids around to read, and discuss. I was quite impressed by the way the concepts built upon each other from the past to the present, making the book accessible and thought provoking for ages 8 and up.

There are a few Muslims in the illustrations, and a blurb about Mansa Musa- naturally a book such as this features diversity. I really just want to share it because I think it is a great concept given the current state of the world, to ponder over, and to invite youngsters to think about. It isn't just that a mountain range, or a river is a border between states or countries or continents, it is also the human made barriers, the government structures that are built upon "us and them," and even the internet in allowing different "information" to be accessed based on what borders you are in when you log on.

[Andrea Langlois]

I work in a program that has students from migrant/immigrant backgrounds so I was curious about this book and how it could inform my work. What I found was that I learned new concepts laid out factually and without specific judgement against the backdrop of some seriously beautiful illustrations. I would recommend this book to elementary aged children and can help meaningfully process and understand how we ended up with borders we have today.

Thank you Netgalley and Blue Dot Kids Press for the advanced copy of this excellent read!