The aim of the fourth UN Sustainable Development Goal is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” Already a challenging aim, the repercussions of Covid-19 have further impacted progress towards meeting this goal. The books below showcase children’s experiences of school around the world. In addition, they provide tips on how to learn that will help students as they embark on a lifelong learning journey.
Rain School
By James Rumford
Review: This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of school children in Chad whose school is built from mud bricks. Each year it is washed away during the rainy season. When the new school year begins, the children re-build their school. Inspiring and uplifting, Rain School leads its young readers to reflect on their own and others’ experiences of what makes a school and highlights how we can learn anywhere. A perfect conversation starter.
Suggested Reading Age: 4 to 7 years old.
School Is Wherever I Am
By Ellie Peterson
Review: This delightful book shows readers how school can be anywhere around them. The story begins with our young protagonist in a school setting that is familiar to many, before asking some key questions: “Is school only one place? Are there other classrooms?” We subsequently follow him as he goes out and explores whether school can be in an aquarium or a museum, or when he is learning things by himself, cooking with his nana or helping his father at his workbench. Ellie Peterson’s heart-warming illustrations further highlight the book’s important message that learning can take place anywhere. This book would make a wonderful class read-aloud or bedtime story. It is a great way for students to realize that they learn everywhere, not “just” in school, and would make a wonderful entry point to talk about the concept of lifelong learning.
Suggested Reading Age: 6 to 8 years old.
Armando And The Blue Tarp School
by Edith Hope Fine (Author), Judith Pinkerton Josephson (Author), Hernán Sosa (Illustrator)
Review: Inspired by the work of teacher David Lynch, Armando and the Blue Tarp School tells the fictional story of Armando. Armando and his family are pepenadores, rubbish collectors, living in a colonia in Mexico. One day a teacher, Señor David, arrives, spreads out a blue tarpaulin and begins teaching. Hoping that their son will have a better future, Armando’s parents decide to send him to the blue tarp school. After a fire devastates the colonia, a reader of the local newspaper buys Armando’s drawing that had featured on the front cover. This provides enough money to build a permanent school. An author’s note at the end provides more information about David Lynch, his work and the school that was built as a result of one woman’s generosity. Well-worth a read.
Click here to see a read-aloud of this book.
Suggested Reading Age: 6 to 9 years old.
Malala: My Story Of Standing Up For Girls’ Rights
by Sarah J. Robbins (Adapter), Malala Yousafzai (Author)
Review: This chapter book version of Malala Yousafzais’s memoir, is a perfect introduction for young readers to Malala’s extraordinary story. Well-adapted with highly accessible language, Malala: My Story Of Standing Up For Girls’ Rights makes compelling reading. This book would work equally well as a class read-aloud, as a small group book study or as an individual choice. Malala’s story not only shines a light on the plight of girls’ education in her native land but also on a different culture and beliefs. Highly recommended.
Suggested Reading Age: 6 to 10 years old.
Off To Class: Incredible And Unusual Schools Around The World
by Susan Hughes
Review: Newly updated, Off To Class: Incredible And Unusual Schools Around The World offers a fascinating insight into different schools and classrooms around the world. Plentiful photographs accompany the accessible, thought-provoking text. Ranging from boat schools to rainforest schools to a tent school that has arisen due to natural disasters, this eye-opening book provides a perfect springboard to discussing what makes a school. It also provides ample scope for discussion as to the accessibility of education for all. This would be perfect for any school or classroom library.
Suggested Reading Age: 9 to 12 years old.
Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying; A Guide for Kids and Teens
by Barbara Oakley PhD (Author), Terrence Sejnowski PhD (Author), Alistair McConville (Author)
Review: Learning can be a tricky business. It is often messy, rarely linear and frequently requires grit and determination. This book provides readers young and old with practical, research-based tips to help them become more effective and receptive learners. Practising the exercises and discussing these tips, should help them with their academic lives and beyond. Fun illustrations and clearly written text keep the readers’ interest, whilst chapter titles such as “Easy Does It: Why Trying Too Hard Can Sometimes Be Part Of The Problem” and “Brain-Links And Fun With Space Aliens” pull the reader in. Drawing on advances in neuroscience this book is a perfect tool to help promote and develop lifelong learning.
Suggested Reading Age: 10 to 17 years old. In my opinion, older learners and adults would find this insightful, too.
Happy Reading!
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Do YOU know of any compelling books about quality education to add to this list? If so, please leave a recommendation below .