Do you get books from a public library in your town or even in your school library? In many remote areas of the world, there are no library buildings. Writer Margriet Ruurs read a newspaper article about a camel in Kenya that is used to bring books to children in remote desert villages. She became curious about how else children around the world might get their books if there is no library. Librarians and volunteers from many countries sent her stories and photos of their mobile libraries. The result is this intriguing photo essay, a celebration of books, readers, and libraries. In the jungles of Thailand, in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, in rural Zimbabwe, the arrival of the mobile library is a major and exciting event. If it weren't for librarians and volunteers, people in these remote parts of the world might never have books to read. In other countries, books are delivered in unusual ways: by bus, boat, elephant, donkey, train or even by wheelbarrow. Why would librarians go to the trouble of packing books on the backs of elephants or driving miles to deliver books by bus? Because, as one librarian in Azerbaijan says, "books are as important to us as air or water!"

Author Margriet Ruurs begins this engaging informational picture book by posing an intriguing question: 'What is a school? Is it a building with classrooms? Or can it be any place where children learn?' The fascinating stories that follow will expand how young readers think of school, as they learn about the experiences of real children in thirteen different countries around the world. From Marta in Azezo, Ethiopia, and Luciano in M©rida, Venezuela, to Alina in Taraz, Kazakhstan, and Lu in Shanghai, China, the children who are profiled live in places that truly span the globe. However, while there are huge differences in their environments, all the children share similar desires to learn, read and play with others. Alice Feagan's charming cut-paper collage artwork further enhances the idea of a global community by featuring smiling, enthusiastic children's faces, which are equally joyous and filled with life in every situation. As with all the titles in the popular Around the World series, using a familiar concept such as going to school is a perfect way to introduce children to other cultures and places in social studies classes. The author has provided several resources at the end of the book, including discussion topics and a list of organisations that help children access education. A world map at the beginning of the book shows the location of each of the countries, and a glossary contains definitions of the foreign words. These, along with a table of contents, make useful tools for familiarising young readers with book navigation.

This book allows young readers to visit with fourteen children, all from different countries, to learn about their families. Based on real children, each is told in the first person, beginning with a greeting in the child's native language. From Ryan, who lives on a Texas cattle farm, to Nkoitoi, who tends the family goat in Kenya, to Baatar, who moves regularly with his nomadic family in Mongolia, there is a vast range of homes, locations, customs and activities presented here, all of it illustrated with bright colors and vivid detail by illustrator Jessica Rae Gordon.

Everyone in the world has a birthday. But birthdays are not celebrated in the same way everywhere. Meet Mercedes in Peru, who eats a cake and a purple pudding called mazamorra morada. Ieva in Latvia is raised in the birthday chair, one lift for each year. And rather than celebrating his own birthday, Phuc Khang in Vietnam joins in the festivities during Tet, when everyone in the country turns one year older. Based on interviews with real people, award-winning author Margriet Ruurs tells the unique birthday traditions of seventeen children from all around the globe.