Adventures to School: Real-Life Journeys of Students from Around the World

This will pique readers’ curiosity (and hopefully their gratitude at their privilege) but does not answer all the questions they will surely have. 

Copyright 2018 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission

The husband-and-wife coauthors explore how children from 13 countries travel to school. The accounts, which are fictionalized but are based on the commutes of actual children, are told in vivid first-person narratives, which Muñoz conveys in gentle, earnest illustrations. A boy in Pakistan rides a rickshaw "so full that all of us can barely fit inside." In Tokyo, a boy travels via subway, carrying a yellow flag so he can be spotted if he gets lost. Many of the journeys will be eye-opening to readers: in Bhuton, a girl walks three hours on foot to get to her school. Images made to resemble snapshots show each child in class and ready to learn, but readers will grasp the subtle message about how profoundly different a universal experience can be. Ages 4-8. (May)

Gr 3-5—The focus of this nonfiction picture book is not on the kind of schools students attend, but rather how they make their way there each day. Readers are transported around the globe to experience a variety of modes of transportation and the challenges that can arise. The authors focus on the determination demonstrated by children seeking an education, which will inspire resilience and empathy in readers. Most of the continents are covered (save Australia and Antarctica), and a note at the beginning of the book states that these profiles are not wholly representative of any country or culture but are composites and fictionalized vignettes. Some of the episodes are more engaging than others (in Sichuan Province, China, students climb down a sheer rock-face using rope ladders and the illustration captures the precarious nature of this trip especially well). Sidebars provide additional factual information. VERDICT A useful addition to most school collections, especially to emphasize the value of an education to students.—John Scott, Friends School of Baltimore