World Around Us
Series of 4 titles
What kinds of different homes can we live in? What are some differences between towns and cities? World Around Us introduces the earliest readers to the land, homes, neighborhoods, and communities around them while helping them develop literacy skills. Vibrant photography and tightly controlled text work together to provide an engaging and supportive reading experience. World Around Us titles include tools for teachers and caregivers as well as introductory nonfiction features such as labels, a table of contents, words to know, and an index. A Let's Review! feature poses a photo and question to help readers review and expand learning on the topic.
Reviews
SLJ Review of The World Around Us
What a wonderful world! In Our Homes, the phrase “This is a home” is consistently repeated, showing that regardless of the style, be it mobile home, apartment, townhouse, or houseboat, if people live there, they are homes. Our Neighborhoods introduces phrases with question marks, asking readers if their neighborhood is by a park, a library, or a school, and shows a variety of urban, suburban, and rural settings. The beauty of the planet and all of its developed areas are celebrated in Our Earth and Our Towns and Cities. Brightly colored photos are labeled to help children become acquainted with high-frequency words. With no more than one sentence on each spread, these books support emerging readers in classroom settings and could see some interest in public libraries’ nonfiction reader sections as well.
VERDICT: An inclusive series recommended for purchase by both school and public libraries.