Can We Help?: Kids Volunteering to Help Their Communities

by George Ancona

Real kids make a real difference in their communities in this vibrantly photographed chronicle by George Ancona.

George Ancona celebrates the joy of kids giving back. In one after-school program, middle-school students mentor and tutor younger children. Via a special partnership, schoolchildren help professionals train assistance dogs for people with disabilities. At a community farm, families plant, grow, and harvest produce for soup kitchens and charities. In these and other examples of volunteering, kids of all ages work together knitting hats and scarves for those who could use warm clothes, packing hot meals to deliver to housebound people, and keeping roadways clean. Young humanitarians reading these accounts may well be inspired to find ways that they can help, too.

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Childrens, School

48 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 2015

About the author

George Ancona was an author and photographer who has published more that one hundred books, some of them bilingual. He was known for his exquisite photography and close-up looks at a variety of cultural subjects. He lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celebrated photographer, George Ancona, has created a vibrant photo essay highlighting the contributions children can make within their communities. Middle-school students are shown mentoring and tutoring younger children. Youngsters help train assistance dogs for people with disabilities in another. Youth of all ages knit hats and scarves for those who need warm clothing, others create meals for delivery to homebound individuals.

“Can We Help?” will tie in with units involving service learning projects, and those focusing on community/neighborhoods. This is an excellent selection to jumpstart discussions of giving back, community service, and volunteerism. Young humanitarians reading these stories may be inspired to explore ways they can help, too.

[Sunday · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot of potential for classroom use of this book--to launch a community service project, to nurture small group discussions, and as a mentor for writing informational text. I'd read this aloud to students in the primary and perhaps intermediate grades. It's long so I think I'd read 2-3 parts each day for a week maybe and pose questions for small groups to discuss like "What did you learn about one group that is helping the community?" and "Why is their work important?" and "How did the author/photographer reveal the importance of this work?" and "One of Ancona's messages is that volunteer work can be fun. How does he reveal this?" and "How does this group's work differ from that one's?"

Ancona's writing is clear and cohesive. Close reading of a section of this text might benefit students who are seeking to write about community organizations or doing research on a similar topic. For example, students could read a particular section (each section is about a different group doing community work) and discuss, "How does Ancona introduce the group or organization?" and "What does he describe or explain?" and "How does this help the reader develop clarity?"

Also, if you are launching a unit on community service, there's great vocabulary in the book to highlight - shelter, community farm, food depot, etc.

One disappointment--but not a deal breaker. I tend to think of Ancona as an author/photographer of the Mexican American experience. (He was born in Brooklyn and his parents were Mexican immigrants.) I shouldn't pigeonhole him. My apologies. At the same time, I was disappointed that a larger variety of faces were not revealed in this book. I did notice a variety of names that could represent different ethnic groups, but visually there wasn't much distinction except for one group towards the end of the book (from the Boys and Girls Club). It's not a deal breaker - I'd still use the book. There's just room for some critical thinking with students about the author/photographer/publisher choices. And perhaps, there is more diversity than I'm aware of - maybe a discussion with students would reveal this to me.

[Andrew Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot Summary: This non-fiction text talks about the many amazing people who put their time on the line for other people. I'm talking about volunteers of course. These people do amazing things like make hats and scarfs for people living in cold places. The kids gather food supplies such as cans, vegetables, etc. The volunteering continues with the kids helping other kids learn, and clean up garbage on the streets. The photographs truly demonstrate the amazing acts of kindness that people actually can and will do in the world.

Visual information, Format, and design
The book is very appealing to the readers that want to make a difference in the world. This book would be age appropriate for the higher grades in elementary school. Some concepts certain students may not understand in lower grades. The visual information correlates directly to the information provided in the text. The "extras" are perfect for this story, the reader can clearly understand what the author and the people in the pictures are portraying.

Personal Response:
This book is a phenomenal book to show to our generation. The amount of volunteers in communities has dropped significantly over the years. Unfortunately, that has caused people some serious troubles. It is important to shine light on topics that people seem to just forget or ignore these days. I would create a can drive or cereal box drive to help support people in need. I would also bring in my firefighter gear and show the student's what I do to help my community. In this non fiction selection, Ancona provides inspiration to young humanitarians.

[American Mensa · Rating 3 out of 5]

How Can We Help is a wordy picture book showing how kids can help with the world/environment. It gives examples of what kids like you can do! Other readers would enjoy this book because it shows that kids can help and how they care about the world too. It is interesting to see what kids all around the world can do. My book buddy’s (5 years old) favorite part was when they knitted things (hats, gloves, scarves, etc.) to homeless or weak people. She thought it was very sweet to do that. My book buddy didn’t like how long it was and she thought it was a little boring to read. This was her opinion, but other little kids may enjoy this book.
Review by Sofia H, age 11, American Mensa

[Emily White · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Can We Help: Kids Volunteering to Help Their Communities' is written in simple, clear language that would be appropriate for younger children (Pre-K and up). Through photos and text, the reader can learn about ways that other kids are helping around their own homes - caring for trees to reduce soil erosion, picking up trash along a road, gardening to help supply food for others, among other examples. The photos show the storyline taken into action and how fun volunteering can be. I would have liked to have seen a list of websites in the back of the book that would allow the parent of the reader a way to get their child involved through a related organization.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review at: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1...

I think this picture book would be a wonderful one to read in conjunction with the 31 Ways to Change the World because that book includes suggestions while this one gives us narratives about those actually making a difference. I love the variety of ways the author highlights: from knitting to a community farm to training dogs and mentoring. These stories are inspiring and will make the reader (adult or child) want to do something to make a difference!

[Lauren McEnerney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ancona's biography about multiple kids helping their communities really helps the reader become encouraged and identify ways they can help their community. Throughout the picture book, with pictures that Ancona took, the reader will see the different ways they can help, such as making meals for homeless people, planting shrubs and trees to help the environment, training service dogs for disabled people, and much more. This book is set in a variety of places and shelters and is great for kids to learn how they can become involved in giving back!

[Francesca Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great non fiction book about helping the community. It shows young children that they can help their communities, and little things can go a long way. The back matter explains why the author helps the community, and more on how people can help. Also it used great photos of children helping around their communities.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a great book to share with classes, scout troops, church groups, etc. to show kids how they can help in their communities. The big, bright, colorful photos of kids and adults working together are attractive.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A legitimately good information source on how kids can become volunteers early in their lives. Highlights some great projects already going on around the country. An additional page or two at the end listing ideas for kids would have been much welcomed.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! The author, using colorful photographs and simple, yet informative, text shares with readers a lot of different ways kids (and grownups) can help out in their communities. There's enough variety in the outreach ideas, that there's something for all interests and ability-levels.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great photo essay showing children engaging in a variety of volunteer activities in their communities.

[Chris Hays · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is good for a library shelf and expressing how kids can help in a community. It is not great for inspiring ideas, but exploring how those ideas might play out.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Instills a sense of civic responsibility in young readers. You're never too young to help.

[McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depicts various organizations and activities that kids can be involved in to help others in their community.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good readaloud for school-age kids with concrete examples about how they can make a difference.

[Lannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s not flashy, but what thus book does so effectively is show REAL kids doing real volunteerism in real organizations, which went a long way with my kids. They were in awe of these kids their age! Includes references with the organizations mentioned in the book. My kids weren’t interested when I picked it from the library, but were fully engaged once I started reading. After, they talked excitedly about ideas for who they’d like to help and how. I’m excited to act on it with them (once safe to). Solid little book.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

NF picture book showing kids ways in which they can make a difference.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very personalized and detailed and I think that the girls enjoyed when the names matched those of people they know.

[Paige]

1) This book is very informational and tells all about the many projects and volunteer work that children can help in to make their communities a better place to live in. The book includes all kinds of ideas such as cleaning up trash, making scarves and hats for the homeless, helping donate food to people who don't have any or don't have the ability to cook, and even helping to train dogs for people who need service dogs. One of the best ideas from the book is having a mentor program for elementary kids to get help from middle schoolers with homework and anything else going on in their lives.

2) This book is very inspirational and I think it would persuade some students to want to help as well. I would have the students answer questions like why is it so important to help certain people? And what would they be like if they didn't get that help? Also, I would have them come up with their own ideas about how they can help in their schools and communities, such as recycling, helping younger students, and donating to the homeless. While doing so, I would also make sure they know that they need an adult such as a parent to help with most of these activities and they should never just help a stranger by themselves, because it could be very dangerous.

3) Ancona, G. (2015). Can We Help? Kids volunteering to help their communities. Dongguan, China: Library of Congress