Picture Book Review – Our Class is a Country

 

OUR CLASS IS A COUNTRY

Written by Andria W. Rosenbaum

Illustrated by Dream Chen

(Albert Whitman & Co.; $18.99; Ages 4-8)

 

 

 

In the delightful and inclusive picture book, Our Class is a Country, written by Andria W. Rosenbaum with illustrations by Dream Chen, a classroom of diverse students welcomes a new teacher with love and respect.

Acorn Elementary School students enter the school building with smiling faces and backpacks over their shoulders. An adult with blonde hair speaks to the new red-headed teacher as a student points to the unfamiliar lady. What makes this opening spread stand out is the diversity of the students. A blonde boy wears a beret, while a brown-haired boy skips into class with a yarmulke on his head. Chen’s colorful illustrations of the kids (I love the perspective of the one below) display the uniqueness of each young child.

 

 

 

 

 

Led by the new teacher, the children gather in a circle on a rug, holding each other’s hands. The teacher sits with legs in butterfly pose, while some kids have their legs stretched in front of them and a boy in a red shirt sits in his wheelchair. The teacher stands in front of a green wall map with kids waving their hands up as Rosenbaum writes We’re hola, bonjour, namaste, and shalom. Our class is a country of “welcome” from home. The drawings of these kids show the reader that all kids can get along no matter where they come from or what religion they practice.

 

 

 

Next, the teacher transitions the class into the music lesson seated again in a circle on the rug. Our language is music. Our names are a song. Our class is a country when we sing along. One boy strums a green-colored guitar while another boy drums with his orange sticks. Lunchtime emphasizes the diversity when the children sit together at a long table eating tacos, wontons, sushi, and a hamburger. The Indian friend bites into Naan bread, but the French boy prefers his croissant.

 

 

Sometimes, the kids work solo, and sometimes, they work in teams, but however they work, the new teacher is there guiding them along.  After spending time practicing addition seated at their desks, the kids return to the circle where Rosenbaum writes Our class in a country with no room for hate, my favorite line in the story. The day concludes with the kids returning the kindness the new teacher has shared by drawing hearts on cards and giving them to her. Wouldn’t it be great if all classes were like this one?

The backmatter asks How Many Ways Can You Say Hello? A list includes Konnichiwa (Japanese), Shalom (Hebrew), and Ciao (Italian) to name a few. This story was very realistic for me as a substitute teacher. I often work with students who speak languages unfamiliar to me and this story felt like the new teacher could also be a substitute. Kids will enjoy the catchy refrain of “our class is a country.” And like the title, which is just so good, it kept me hooked. This is an upbeat read-aloud with an encouraging message of kindness and acceptance that always grabs my attention. I can see this as a go-to picture book for storytimes especially in schools and libraries.

• Reviewed by Ronda Einbinder