For the last couple of months we have been exploring similarities and differences among people around the world, focusing particularly on children. We have read several books about children that reinforce the same theme: while we are all unique, in many ways, no matter where we live we have much in common. Some of the books we read were One World, One Day, by Barbara Kenley, This is How We Do It: One Day in the lives of Seven Kids from around the World, by Matt Lamothe, and Wake Up World! A Day in the Life of Children Around the World, by Beatrice Hollyler.  All of these books follow several children from morning through evening as they go through a day, describing simple routines that are common to many, such as eating breakfast, going to school, playing with friends, and getting ready for bed. While these children have noticeably different lives depending on what part of the world they live in, emphasis is placed on their commonalities. As we looked at each of these books we noted things we had in common with these children from all over the world.

Last week we continued this discussion reading the book To Be a Kid, by Maya Ajmara and John D. Ivanko. With the repeating phrase "To be a kid means..." this book carries a similar message that children all over the world have much in common. We followed this book by creating our own illustrations of what being a kid means to each of us.