Review by Booklist Review
"Hello! What is your name? How old are you?" asks this cheerful look at 100 people worldwide. Each two-page spread features a large portrait and the answers to those questions, along with a brief paragraph from each person about their enjoyments and daily life, showcasing how our interests vary (and remain the same) internationally and over lifetimes. One-year-old Gwen was born and lives in the UK and can almost walk. U.S. born and raised, Beatrice is 100 years old and still volunteers at her library. In between are 98 others who use their own language to greet readers but whose lives are described in English. Librarians and teachers can use this book to spark a variety of discussions and projects, and with every entry accompanied by a map showing where the subject lives, geography lessons can benefit from this, too. Lastly, the work can be of interest in art class, as it was inspired by a photography project--a description of the project is found at book's end. A happy addition to shelves.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Readers will meet and learn about 100 people in this artistic concept book. Created by JR, the artist behind the international art project Inside Out, the book features black-and-white portraits of individuals from all around the world. These photos are arranged uniformly across a series of double-page spreads beginning with Gwen, age 1, and ending with Beatrice, age 100. Each spread introduces the subject with a greeting from their language, lists their place of birth and current residence, presents a world map locating both places (if they are different), and provides a brief paragraph from their point of view that dances loosely around the topic of age. Gwen, a Briton, "can say some words"; Beatrice, who is from the U.S., is a little surprised to be 100. Both Gwen and Beatrice present White, and in between readers will meet Costa Rican 10-year-old Diego, Zimbabwean 33-year-old Ngonidzashe, Vietnamese 48-year-old Vu, and Iraq-born Canadian 90-year-old Menashe, among others. As readers delve further into the book they'll notice the background colors of the pages change hue from a bright yellow, shifting through the color wheel, and returning to yellow. The book is beautiful and borders on the profound (especially for older caregivers), but the question remains: Who is this for? Babies obsessed with faces may love the portraits; toddlers may learn numbers, colors, etc.; older readers may learn some geography--all ages get a little, but is it enough? (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.5-by-14.5-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.) By providing a little for everyone, the book may spread itself too thin. (Picture book. All ages) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
