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How to Make a Better World: For Brilliant Kids Who Want to Make a Difference
If you are a kid with big dreams and a passion for what is right, you're a world-changer in the making. There's a lot that can be changed by just one person, if you know what to do. Start by making yourself into the awesome person you want to be by learning all about self-care and kindness. Using those skills, work your way up to creating activist campaigns to tackle climate change or social injustice. This fun and inspiring guide to making the world a better place and becoming a good citizen is packed with ideas and tips for kids who want to know how to make a difference. Through ideas as small as creating a neighbourhood lending library to as important as public speaking and how to talk about politics, How to Make a Better World is a practical guide to activism for awesome kids.
96 pages, Hardcover
Published March 5, 2020
2 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
D.K. Publishing
9,143 books2,032 followersDorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.
Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.
Source: Wikipedia.
Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.
Source: Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 19, 2023
I am a sucker for books that advertise on how to make the world a better place and you can more than like blame that on my upraising in the '90s. Anyway this book caught my eye and I chose to see what was within the pages for myself.
I must have to say that I did particularly enjoy the book at the beginning. It was quite informative, colorful, full of good tips and something that I could see myself wanting to share with younger generations. There is plenty of encouraginging material to choose from, especially if you don't want to read from cover-to-cover.
One of the formatting changes I would have suggested though is putting the quiz up towards the front with the tree that has the goals just for those readers who have no idea what topic they may want to look at tackling. For why would you tuck that in the middle of the book, especially since you will have some readers who have no idea what they may be interested in tackling?
From there the book started to go downhill. The author emphasizes over and over again to her young readers that before tackling some of these issues they will want to get a rounded view of the issue at hand before trying to tackle it. And yet looking through the last parts of the book I feel that she didn't take that into consideration for herself.
First of all she made the point of including the fact that the Suffragettes represented necessary action over words. The only thing she pointed out was the fact that they damaged property to get their point across and were willing to go to jail. Is this truly something you want children to have stuck in their head as being good to do in their own forms of protest?
The second thing I noticed was almost a double standard. Keilly made a point of emphasizing quite a few times the need to do quite rounded research before going on with your choice of subject. She did a great job in explaining when she wanted the two sides of an issue but in others she quite overlooked the one side and just made a point on why that person was doing what they did. In this case I would also like to point out the fact that one individual that was given one-sided was Colin Kaepernick.
I don't think Colin Kaepernick should have been mentioned since of the complication of that particular issue but that is my own opinion.
But the last straw to me was the fact that she was fear-mongering about a child's food while pinpointing everything on cows. Why do we have to have such books with focused agendas and if you are particularly sensitive about how much we need to change our diet why don't you also educate your reader on how to become a lifestyle vegan as well to further help save the world. Although you do know that slash-and-burn isn't just for cattle farming but also includes methods for raising crops.
All in all what started to be a book with promise just soured on me towards the end. There is definitely some good advice and some good places to start but instead of just giving this book to a child to read on their own I would recommend adults to read and go over these topics. Help to explain the whole stories instead of hoping a child may figure it out on their own or take what is given them even without factual basis without backing up the information.
***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***
I must have to say that I did particularly enjoy the book at the beginning. It was quite informative, colorful, full of good tips and something that I could see myself wanting to share with younger generations. There is plenty of encouraginging material to choose from, especially if you don't want to read from cover-to-cover.
One of the formatting changes I would have suggested though is putting the quiz up towards the front with the tree that has the goals just for those readers who have no idea what topic they may want to look at tackling. For why would you tuck that in the middle of the book, especially since you will have some readers who have no idea what they may be interested in tackling?
From there the book started to go downhill. The author emphasizes over and over again to her young readers that before tackling some of these issues they will want to get a rounded view of the issue at hand before trying to tackle it. And yet looking through the last parts of the book I feel that she didn't take that into consideration for herself.
First of all she made the point of including the fact that the Suffragettes represented necessary action over words. The only thing she pointed out was the fact that they damaged property to get their point across and were willing to go to jail. Is this truly something you want children to have stuck in their head as being good to do in their own forms of protest?
The second thing I noticed was almost a double standard. Keilly made a point of emphasizing quite a few times the need to do quite rounded research before going on with your choice of subject. She did a great job in explaining when she wanted the two sides of an issue but in others she quite overlooked the one side and just made a point on why that person was doing what they did. In this case I would also like to point out the fact that one individual that was given one-sided was Colin Kaepernick.
I don't think Colin Kaepernick should have been mentioned since of the complication of that particular issue but that is my own opinion.
But the last straw to me was the fact that she was fear-mongering about a child's food while pinpointing everything on cows. Why do we have to have such books with focused agendas and if you are particularly sensitive about how much we need to change our diet why don't you also educate your reader on how to become a lifestyle vegan as well to further help save the world. Although you do know that slash-and-burn isn't just for cattle farming but also includes methods for raising crops.
All in all what started to be a book with promise just soured on me towards the end. There is definitely some good advice and some good places to start but instead of just giving this book to a child to read on their own I would recommend adults to read and go over these topics. Help to explain the whole stories instead of hoping a child may figure it out on their own or take what is given them even without factual basis without backing up the information.
***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***
January 18, 2021
Keilly Swift, directora del periódico infantil "First", ha trabajado en publicaciones dirigidas a los más pequeños a lo largo de veinte años focalizando su interés en títulos fácticos y didácticos. Su trabajo tiene la finalidad de inspirar a los jóvenes a crear un mundo más empático y armonioso. Una de sus obras "The Tigon and the Liger" ha sido llevada incluso al teatro.
"Cómo crear un mundo mejor" es un libro de no ficción cuyo objetivo principal es ofrecer al lector una serie de herramientas necesarias que sirvan como guía para cambiar esa parte del mundo por el que más motivado o comprometido se sienta.
Dividido en cuatro partes o capítulos ("Tú", "Comunidad", "Humanidad" y "Medio Ambiente") el libro orienta y aporta ideas, información, consejos y estrategias que de forma global dirigen hacia el bienestar personal para dar paso al social y, posteriormente, al global.
A continuación, expongo brevemente lo trabajado en cada uno de ellos.
En "Tú" la autora se focaliza en el individuo y su relación con los demás. Parte de la autoestima, las emociones, el positivismo, el civismo o la creatividad dirigiendo al lector hacia la empatía el desarrollo de ciertas habilidades y la reflexión sobre el comportamiento con uno mismo.
"Comunidad" es el segundo punto en donde se trabaja las relaciones sociales fomentando las actividades en grupo, el desarrollo de las amistades, el conocer la cultura y patrimonio, la involucración al voluntariado y la concienciación sobre el acoso a través de la Declaración de los Derechos Humanos.
El apartado "Humanidad" trata los valores universales potenciando la indiscriminación y el activismo a través de testimonios de artistas reconocidos del panorama social y musical. Del mismo modo, expone recursos para crear campañas revolucionarias.
Por último, encontramos "Medio Ambiente" , apartado que se cierne sobre la creación de comunidades eco, la mejora de la producción y la alimentación y la protección de diversos ecosistemas.
En general, se trata de un manual de lo más estructurado con páginas, organizadas a modo de infografía, claras y concisas que concentran toda la información necesaria.
A modo de ampliación se incluye un glosario con diferentes ONGs, así como sus webs, en las que poder investigar.
La edición es colorida y muy atractiva, sus imágenes armoniosas y sus fotografías reales ilustran y presentan de una forma cercana la realidad dando a conocer y facilitando el conocimiento cultural sobre temas relativos a la humanidad.
Personalmente considero que es un libro que aporta muchísimo al público infantil y los alienta a investigar sobre aquello que le motiva para aportar ese granito de arena que no solo ayude a contribuir a la mejora del medio, sino a desarrollarse como una persona íntegra y llena de valores.
Me ha gustado excepcionalmente la cercanía de la autora y la cantidad de estrategias e ideas que se aporta, y a las que sin duda seguiré e incluiré en mi día a día.
En conclusión, "Cómo crear un mundo mejor" es un libro optimista y utópico que despierta mentes y ofrece las primeras herramientas para emprender el camino hacia la mejora del mundo en el que vivimos empezando la misión desde nuestro papel como individuos.
"Cómo crear un mundo mejor" es un libro de no ficción cuyo objetivo principal es ofrecer al lector una serie de herramientas necesarias que sirvan como guía para cambiar esa parte del mundo por el que más motivado o comprometido se sienta.
Dividido en cuatro partes o capítulos ("Tú", "Comunidad", "Humanidad" y "Medio Ambiente") el libro orienta y aporta ideas, información, consejos y estrategias que de forma global dirigen hacia el bienestar personal para dar paso al social y, posteriormente, al global.
A continuación, expongo brevemente lo trabajado en cada uno de ellos.
En "Tú" la autora se focaliza en el individuo y su relación con los demás. Parte de la autoestima, las emociones, el positivismo, el civismo o la creatividad dirigiendo al lector hacia la empatía el desarrollo de ciertas habilidades y la reflexión sobre el comportamiento con uno mismo.
"Comunidad" es el segundo punto en donde se trabaja las relaciones sociales fomentando las actividades en grupo, el desarrollo de las amistades, el conocer la cultura y patrimonio, la involucración al voluntariado y la concienciación sobre el acoso a través de la Declaración de los Derechos Humanos.
El apartado "Humanidad" trata los valores universales potenciando la indiscriminación y el activismo a través de testimonios de artistas reconocidos del panorama social y musical. Del mismo modo, expone recursos para crear campañas revolucionarias.
Por último, encontramos "Medio Ambiente" , apartado que se cierne sobre la creación de comunidades eco, la mejora de la producción y la alimentación y la protección de diversos ecosistemas.
En general, se trata de un manual de lo más estructurado con páginas, organizadas a modo de infografía, claras y concisas que concentran toda la información necesaria.
A modo de ampliación se incluye un glosario con diferentes ONGs, así como sus webs, en las que poder investigar.
La edición es colorida y muy atractiva, sus imágenes armoniosas y sus fotografías reales ilustran y presentan de una forma cercana la realidad dando a conocer y facilitando el conocimiento cultural sobre temas relativos a la humanidad.
Personalmente considero que es un libro que aporta muchísimo al público infantil y los alienta a investigar sobre aquello que le motiva para aportar ese granito de arena que no solo ayude a contribuir a la mejora del medio, sino a desarrollarse como una persona íntegra y llena de valores.
Me ha gustado excepcionalmente la cercanía de la autora y la cantidad de estrategias e ideas que se aporta, y a las que sin duda seguiré e incluiré en mi día a día.
En conclusión, "Cómo crear un mundo mejor" es un libro optimista y utópico que despierta mentes y ofrece las primeras herramientas para emprender el camino hacia la mejora del mundo en el que vivimos empezando la misión desde nuestro papel como individuos.
February 18, 2020
This book is a really good overview of what we can do to make the world a better place, but some of it may be too much for sensitive kids or even just overwhelming for kids in general. I recommend parents not necessarily reading it to their kids all the way through, but rather using it as a resource when questions and discussions come up.
November 13, 2022
• Read for Children’s Literature •
This book was a great way to teach children how to dream for a better world! I myself as a 24-year-old learned a lot as well and got so many ideas for how to better my life choices to align with my goals.
My only qualm is that much of the book’s content was a bit biased towards one political side of the spectrum and did not provide enough information to help children make a educated decision on what they want to work towards.
This book was a great way to teach children how to dream for a better world! I myself as a 24-year-old learned a lot as well and got so many ideas for how to better my life choices to align with my goals.
My only qualm is that much of the book’s content was a bit biased towards one political side of the spectrum and did not provide enough information to help children make a educated decision on what they want to work towards.
August 25, 2020
I'm inspired.
March 12, 2020
This book is a treasure trove of information, from self-care to dealing with bullies, to speaking out for causes that are important to you and how to do it!
Many thanks to DK Publishing and Netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
My full review is up on my blog, Lazy Day Literature.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to make the world a better place or how you could personally make a difference?
How to Make A Better World gives young readers the knowledge and encouragement to start right away, beginning with you, the reader!
It is made up of four chapters that focus on 'you', 'community', 'humanity', and the 'environment', and is illustrated in fun and expressive ways that keep the extra information entertaining and easy to absorb.
This book is a treasure trove of information!
There's great advice about social interactions (both positive and negative) and how to maneuver them, from friendship fallouts to simple disagreements to bullying. There's lots of positive encouragement to find something you're passionate about and how to get started on making a big difference in the world through small actions.
There's even a spread about Little Free Libraries! Swoon!
Many thanks to DK Publishing and Netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
My full review is up on my blog, Lazy Day Literature.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to make the world a better place or how you could personally make a difference?
How to Make A Better World gives young readers the knowledge and encouragement to start right away, beginning with you, the reader!
It is made up of four chapters that focus on 'you', 'community', 'humanity', and the 'environment', and is illustrated in fun and expressive ways that keep the extra information entertaining and easy to absorb.
This book is a treasure trove of information!
There's great advice about social interactions (both positive and negative) and how to maneuver them, from friendship fallouts to simple disagreements to bullying. There's lots of positive encouragement to find something you're passionate about and how to get started on making a big difference in the world through small actions.
There's even a spread about Little Free Libraries! Swoon!
November 20, 2019
A colorful and cheerful book encouraging kindness in children. The first chapter is about self-kindness, because "the power to make a better world begins inside YOU". It goes on to sections including environment and community activism. Information is presented in bright graphics, making for eye-catching reading. I liked the
examples of kids who have made a difference and the ways every kid can do the same (from being a good friend to starting a Little Free Library!). This book is informative without being depressing and I walked away from it feeling super-inspired!
examples of kids who have made a difference and the ways every kid can do the same (from being a good friend to starting a Little Free Library!). This book is informative without being depressing and I walked away from it feeling super-inspired!
June 12, 2020
Remember when Michael Jackson told us to start with the Man in the Mirror if we wanted to see change in the world? That's how this book starts out. Kids learn about self-care, how to be kind, how to recognize their own emotions and harness the power of positive thinking. Once you are taking acre of yourself, then you can start to branch out to others around you, friends and family, in your community, and beyond. You also learn about lots of famous activists and their causes. Bonus points for the special section on spotting fake news, which is a rampant issue we all should be thinking about.
There's a lot of information on these pages and lots of ideas for activities that you can do. Some of the pages feel a little busy because there is SO much information on them with the pictures. But it is a lot of good information. You can start with one or two small activities and build up to the bigger ones. Plus there's a whole list of resources and organizations in the back.
Kids today are even more interesting in becoming activists than before. Or at least it is getting a lot more attention than when I was a kid. This book is definitely going to appeal to those kids who want to make a change in this world. My inner tween/teenager flashed back and started feeling a little ramped up to start implementing some of these changes and activities even now as an adult.
Thank you to the publisher for fulfilling my review request via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
There's a lot of information on these pages and lots of ideas for activities that you can do. Some of the pages feel a little busy because there is SO much information on them with the pictures. But it is a lot of good information. You can start with one or two small activities and build up to the bigger ones. Plus there's a whole list of resources and organizations in the back.
Kids today are even more interesting in becoming activists than before. Or at least it is getting a lot more attention than when I was a kid. This book is definitely going to appeal to those kids who want to make a change in this world. My inner tween/teenager flashed back and started feeling a little ramped up to start implementing some of these changes and activities even now as an adult.
Thank you to the publisher for fulfilling my review request via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
August 25, 2022
A really lovely book that encourages and shows children how to make our place a better world, I really enjoyed this book too as I always do majority of the reading and over see the picking of suitable library books.
Mostly the kids loved all the colourful and vibrant pictures on the page, the ideas are a secondary but very important part of the book that make people feel included and feel better about themselves. We explored thoughts and feelings and how sometimes we can feel sad and how this book can turn a bad day that makes us feel detached to sharing an act of kindness that can put a smile on someone's face.
A really lovely book and so important to be teaching love and kindness to others who may not be in our direct family or friends with us to feel a positive experience from another person they do not know.
Mostly the kids loved all the colourful and vibrant pictures on the page, the ideas are a secondary but very important part of the book that make people feel included and feel better about themselves. We explored thoughts and feelings and how sometimes we can feel sad and how this book can turn a bad day that makes us feel detached to sharing an act of kindness that can put a smile on someone's face.
A really lovely book and so important to be teaching love and kindness to others who may not be in our direct family or friends with us to feel a positive experience from another person they do not know.
February 18, 2021
MG: This was one of the "big books" Ralphie selected this week and it didn't disappoint. It takes kids on a journey from discovering more about themselves, their community, and then gets them thinking about activism within the humanity and environment chapters. It has interactive text (think informal quizzes etc.) And the layout on the pages is super welcoming. It also defines essential "woke" vocab with student-friendly language. If anyone does service learning with their middle grade students, or talks about activism and humanity with their kiddos, this book should probably be in your library (or at the very least to check it out). 💙
December 14, 2019
This book is a needed resource in every single elementary school in the country. Considering the current climate within our media and politics, this is a necessary resource for our young children to have. Right now, our children are being told that they need to make changes in the world and be an active voice and then told by the same people to sit down and be quiet. That discrepancy needs to end now, and Kelly Swift is trying to make that happen.
Swift breaks this book down into four categories: you, community, humanity, environment. Then she puts a small 1-2 page chapter talking about subsections like self-care, volunteering, activism, etc. that help kids to understand all of these things on their levels. There is even an entire page dedicated to diffusing an argument that has the potential to escalate because of different opinions, essentially teaching kids that it is ok to agree to disagree and that you can still be friends!
I cannot stress how strongly I feel that every child in the country needs to have access to this book. I will be buying copies for the children in my life.
Swift breaks this book down into four categories: you, community, humanity, environment. Then she puts a small 1-2 page chapter talking about subsections like self-care, volunteering, activism, etc. that help kids to understand all of these things on their levels. There is even an entire page dedicated to diffusing an argument that has the potential to escalate because of different opinions, essentially teaching kids that it is ok to agree to disagree and that you can still be friends!
I cannot stress how strongly I feel that every child in the country needs to have access to this book. I will be buying copies for the children in my life.
November 23, 2019
THIS WAS SOOOO CUTE! This is an amazing children's book all about the ways in which one can create a better world, even on the smallest level. There are chapters on self care, community, humanity, and the environment. The illustrations are so adorable and incredibly diverse. I loved that the first chapter focused on self care and home life and stated that in order to care for others or the world, you first have to start with taking care of yourself. The importance on loving yourself and understanding your emotions was an incredible addition. I loved the proper definitions throughout the book and the glossary at the end that could help children understand main, but possibly difficult, concepts. I also loved that throughout every chapter, there was a friendly reminder that no one is perfect and that it's okay to fail. Overall, I just loved this book. I would LOVE for the young kiddos in my life to have a hard copy of this. I think it was just fantastic all around and inspired even me to take more initiative towards making the world a better place.
November 22, 2019
As adults, we are very aware of the many issues in the world. From politics to climate change, from bullying to plastics, there are so many areas that stress us. That stress can easily be passed on to kids.
How to Make a Better World offers an optimistic alternative for children by empowering them to make a difference. There are so many suggestions and roadmaps for what can be done in this book. Divided into sections on You, Community, Environment and more, the book helps children to look at what they might like to achieve. The author starts with one's self stressing the need for good care, mindfulness, sleep, etc. Then the author moves out to things to do in the world from how to be a good friend to writing to elected officials and to going on a protest march, to name just a few. Brightly illustrated with inclusive art, the pages of the book are quite appealing. All in all, this is an inspiring book for elementary school aged children.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this title in exchange for an honest review.
How to Make a Better World offers an optimistic alternative for children by empowering them to make a difference. There are so many suggestions and roadmaps for what can be done in this book. Divided into sections on You, Community, Environment and more, the book helps children to look at what they might like to achieve. The author starts with one's self stressing the need for good care, mindfulness, sleep, etc. Then the author moves out to things to do in the world from how to be a good friend to writing to elected officials and to going on a protest march, to name just a few. Brightly illustrated with inclusive art, the pages of the book are quite appealing. All in all, this is an inspiring book for elementary school aged children.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this title in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews