This Is How We Do It by Matt Lamothe
THIS IS HOW WE DO IT:
One Day in The Lives of Seven Kids From Around the World
Written and illustrated by Matt Lamothe
(Chronicle Books; $17.99, Ages 5-8)
★ Starred reviews – Booklist, Horn Books
Included on Smithsonian Ten Best Children’s Books of 2017
“From Breakfast to Bedtime, Spend the Day with Seven Children around the world …”
Meet Romeo (Italy), Kei (Japan), Daphine (Uganda), Oleg (Russia), Ananya (India), Ribaldo (Peru), and Kian (Iran). Read Lamothe’s This Is How We Do It and spend a day with each of these real children and their families to see how their day compares to yours.
A map of the world on the end pages depicts each child and where each child and his or her family lives. The book consists of several attractive and well laid out thematic sections. Each three to four page section introduces the reader to the children from “This is Me” to “This is How We Learn” and “This is How I Help.” On each page, separate panels depict the activities of each child. Other sections include information on what children eat for breakfast and lunch, how they spell their name, and what they do after school.
Each child’s in this book’s close knit family unit consists of a father and mother and siblings. As happens with many families, there are a few challenges. Ribaldo does his homework by flashlight and sleeps on wood planks padded by three blankets. Daphine’s walk to school takes thirty minutes and she sits in a class with 68 other students. Some of the families live in homes or apartments in large urban centers, but a few live in small villages in homes made of wood and mud. The upbeat tone and the love and happiness seen in the family photographs may be reassuring to young children whose families are facing their own challenges.
Meal times are interesting and show the great diversity of food and dinner times, while most eat an early evening meal, Daphine’s family eats at 10 p.m. Nevertheless, what will be so familiar and relatable to American children will be the illustrations of the seven families seated around a table and sharing a meal and doing after-dinner activities such as homework, playing board games, watching TV, hobbies, and, of course, reading.
The final spread,”This is My Night Sky,” presents a full moon against a backdrop of twinkling stars, a type of sky seen by children all over the world. The last pages show photos of the actual children and their families and include a glossary and a brief note on how the author collaborated with the families in putting this book together. This Is How We Do It is a fascinating book which can be used at home or in the classroom to help children build global awareness and discover that they share much in common with other children all over the world.
See pages from the book and learn more about the author/illustrator here. Visit the publisher’s website to see a book trailer and download the free activity guide which helps young children gain a deeper understanding of the book and includes some very cool ideas!
- Reviewed by Dornel Cerro