If America Were a Village

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 22 JUN 2009

This timely follow-up to If the World Were a Village offers a thought-provoking perspective on the people who make up America. Organized by overarching questions such as "Where do we come from?" and "What do we use?" the text illustrates the ethnic divisions, income levels and material consumption (among othercategories) of Americans were America a theoretical village containing only 100 people. In a section on religion, bullet-points demonstrate the breakdown of religious persuasions within America "82 consider themselves Christians... 2 are Buddhists... 1 is Jewish" followed by a comparison with the "whole world" (if it were a village). Armstrong's cheerful, smudgy paintings balance the text's heaviness, and an afterword directed at adult readers provides suggestions for imparting the important but complex message to children. Ages 8 12.