Children Stories from Around the World

Children Stories from Around the World	Deseret Book Company
Compilation organized by The Friend magazine	1976
Nonfiction	80 pages
Reading Level

Summary of Plot

This is a book consisting of 23 stories from all different countries around the world from Africa to New Zealand to the Philippines. My favorite three were Just Like Papa, Masood and his Brave Shoes and The Happiness Tree. Masood and his Brave Shoes takes place in Iran. It describes a boy with lice and he has to go into Tehran to get treated. He is scared and nervous; he has never been outside his village. To help him want to go, his mother allows him to wear his father’s army shoes. He wears them to Tehran and feels braver for wearing them. He volunteers to go first for the treatment and even sits by the window and watches all the new and interesting scenery pass by on the way back to the village. He was able to face an experience that could have been terrifying but was able to face his fears and have confidence in it.

Reaction

I really enjoyed reading all the different stories of children in other cultures. It was interesting to compare them to my childhood and see details that were similar. I thought it was well written and think it was beneficial to study.

Potential Problems

The book had some stories that were written with prejudice, especially the story from the American Indian perspective. Also, there was one about war, though not as prevalent. It compared a residing army soldier to the boy’s father, who had went away to fight.

Recommendations

I would recommend this book to those who are interested in or come from a different culture. Also, to those who feel apart from others, it would help to learn children elsewhere might be struggling as they are. It would also be a good way to introduce a cultural unit_.