In 2015, the United Nations (UN) outlined 17 goals for sustainable development, the aim being to meet these by 2030. Many schools, curricula, and students have embraced the goals, taking positive action and raising awareness in order to make the world a better place for all. This post is the first in a series highlighting books that help readers better understand the issues pertaining to each goal. Beginning with a general introduction, the remainder of the post focuses on goal number one: No Poverty.
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Frieda Makes A Difference: The Sustainable Development Goals and How You Too Can Change the World
by United Nations
Review: This book, written by the UN, introduces the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in a child-friendly, accessible manner. Frieda is inspired to take action during a school visit to the UN in Windhoek, Namibia, but thinks she is too young to do so. The UN representative explains that anyone, young or old, can make a difference. Each of the 17 goals is simply explained with harder vocabulary, such as ‘motivate’ and ‘abundance’, defined in an easy-to-understand way. Accompanied with colour illustrations, this is a great introduction to the goals for younger readers. N.B. The book is also available in French (Frieda Fait La Diférence) and Spanish (Frieda Hace La Diferencia).
Suggested Reading Age: 6 – 8 years
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Sustainable Development Flags: Inspired by the pictures associated with each of the SDGs, ask students to create a flag to represent each goal.
Goal No. 1: No Poverty
I Don’t Have Enough
by Pat Thomas (Author), Lesley Harker (Illustrator)
Review: Part of the A First Look At series, this book, written by psychotherapist and counsellor Pat Thomas, is a basic introduction to poverty for young readers. Featuring beautiful hand-drawn illustrations and simple easy-to-understand language, readers come to appreciate that not everyone has what they need. Sensitively presented, the book also highlights how we can make a difference by sharing with others.
Suggested Reading Age: 4 – 7 years. In my opinion, this is most suited to the younger age of this bracket, i.e. 4 to 5-year-olds.
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Talking Point: Discuss the examples given in the book. Have the children seen similar instances around them?
On Our Street
by Dr Jillian Roberts (Author), Jaime Casap (Author), Jane Heinrichs (Illustrator)
Review: This well-written book thoughtfully addresses the topic of poverty and homelessness. Presented in the form of a conversation, questions are posed and subsequently answered. The conversation begins when a man is seen sleeping on the streets. Questions such as, “Why would he sleep outside?”, “Why does it happen?” and “Are there children who are homeless?” are addressed. The link between poverty and homelessness is made clear. Other issues that can lead to homelessness, such as neglect and abuse, are also presented, providing a three-dimensional view of this complex issue. Signs of poverty are also highlighted, raising awareness of what poverty can “look like”. Quotes from NGOs such as UNICEF stand out in coloured boxes around the page. Advice is also provided as to how readers can help children who are homeless or unsafe. This is a thought-provoking, well-rounded introduction for children.
Suggested Reading Age: 6 – 8. In my opinion, the text of the book and some of its content is better suited to slightly older students than the reading age presented here.
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Talking Point: Discuss what poverty can “look like”. Investigate common portrayals in the media. Does poverty always look like this?
Twenty-two Cents
by Paula Yoo (Author), Jamel Akib (Illustrator)
Review: Twenty-two Cents tells the story of Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, and how his revolutionary idea of microcredit served to help millions of people break the poverty cycle. Terms such as economics, interest, money lenders and micro-credit are explained in an easy-to-understand manner. Beginning with his life as a young boy in modern-day Bangladesh, the book details the circumstances that led to Yunus founding the Grameen Bank and the impacts of this life-changing organisation. Engagingly written and illustrated throughout with stunning watercolours, this narrative nonfiction book is a must-read. Highly recommended.
Suggested Reading Age: Grades 3 – 4. In my opinion, this would serve as a great introduction for 5th Graders (10 to 11-year-olds), too.
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: A Deep Dive: Explore the cycle of poverty with students. Discuss what this is and how it can be broken.
A Different Viewpoint (for older students): Not everyone agrees that the Grameen Bank has helped those in poverty. Look at the entrance about Grameen Bank on Kiddle and discuss this further.
One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference
by Katie Smith Milway (Author), Eugenie Fernandes (Illustrator)
Review: One Hen tells the story of Kojo who lives in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Inspired by true events, it shows how families in a village supported each other by contributing to a loan that people could take out and payback. We see the benefits of this system as Kojo, asking for the money left over from his mother’s loan, is ultimately able to build a farm and hire and pay workers. The end of the book details how microcredit changed the life of Kwabena Darko, also from the Ashanti region. A section on how you can help draws readers’ attention to other microcredit organisations, such as BancoSol in Bolivia and the Women’s World Banking network. This book truly highlights how “one small loan can make a big difference.” Well worth a read.
Suggested Reading Age: 8 – 12 years.
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: A Perfect Pair: Read this alongside Twenty-two Cents (see above) as a great introduction to microfinance.
N.B. To find out more about this topic and for additional resources and lesson plans, it is worth visiting the One Hen website.
I Will Always Write Back
by Martin Ganda (Author), Caitlin Alifirenka (Author), Liz Welch
Review: An inspiring and uplifting book, this dual memoir tells the story of Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda. Given the assignment of writing to a pen-pal overseas, Caitlin chose to write to an unknown student in the country of Zimbabwe. Martin, as the top student in his class of fifty, was the recipient of her pen-pal letter. Their correspondence, lasting 6 years, resulted in a deep, long-lasting friendship. Providing insights into life in a developing country, this book reminds us all of the common hopes and dreams we share. An enlightening and accessible memoir, this comes highly recommended.
Suggested Reading Age: 12 years and up. I think that older Primary students would also enjoy this.
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Be A Pen-Pal: Inspired by the book, join a pen pal programme to connect with others around the world.
Happy Reading!
Do YOU know of any other books about poverty to add to this list? Please leave a recommendation below to help further support our community.
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