Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Neighbors build playground together in cheery teamwork tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In IT TAKES A VILLAGE, three kids get an idea for a playground and play structure below a big tree, and then pitch the idea to their parents and other grown-ups in their community, who step up to help design and build it. The kids help, too. The members of the community learn from one another and learn to "believe in each other."
Is It Any Good?
This upbeat tale of working together to make the community a better place has a positive message and wonderful, engaging art. The story told in illustrator Marla Frazee's pictures is the specific account of building a playground from scratch, following a kid-generated idea. But author Hillary Clinton's text is broader, building on the theme expressed in the title, It Takes a Village (which comes from an African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child"). She offers truisms about kids and communities, such as, "Every child needs a champion. or two. Or three. Or more" and "Every family needs help sometimes."
The text is spare and reflective, with some lines that will zoom over the heads of young picture book readers, such as, "Children are born believers. And citizens, too." The ending call to arms is targeted squarely to adults: "Let us build a village ... worthy of all childen." But kids will be drawn in by the art nonetheless.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the teamwork shown in It Takes a Village. Have you ever worked on a project wth others? Was it fun even if it was hard work?
How do the pictures help tell the story?
The story talks about a village, but the playground looks like one you might see in a city park. How does the "village" idea work in the city?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Marla Frazee
- Genre : Picture Book
- Book type : Non-Fiction
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : September 12, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated : June 19, 2019
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