AGGARWAL, M
I am a Hindu
Paperback
Watts, 1995 £4.99
ISBN: 0 749 614 064
KS 2
I am a Muslim
Paperback
Watts, 1995 £4.99
ISBN: 0 749 614 048
KS 2

BAHREE, P
Hindu world
MacDonald Young Books, 1992 £4.99
ISBN: 0 750 011 904
KS 2/3

BARKER, A
Bangladesh
Heinemann, 1994 £9.50
ISBN: 0 431 072 515
KS 2

BAWDEN, N
The Outside Child
Gollancz

BENJAMIN, F
Coming to England
ill. Michael Frith,
1995, Puffin, 128pp, 0 14 038081 7, £4.99 pbk
(Collins ‘Cascades’, 0 00 330217 2,
£5.99 hbk, April 2000)
This is an autobiographical account of Benjamin’s early life in Trinidad and subsequent move to England aged eight, culminating with her first few years here. The story, familiar to most families who have experienced migration, involves the upheaval that is part and parcel of that process, and the ensuing struggle to re-establish normal family life in a strange and often hostile environment. It is an inspiring, upbeat story of triumph over adversity in which traditional Caribbean values of determination and good-natured optimism (drummed into her by her parents — particularly her mother) play an important part. Incidents of discrimination, where they occur, are recounted without bitterness or resentment. This brisk, well written story should appeal to children of all backgrounds. (10+)

BENNETT, O
A village in Egypt
A&C Black, 1983, £4.50
ISBN 0 713 622 92X
KS 2

BYGOTT, D, W
Black and British
1992, Oxford, 80pp, 0 19 913305 0, £5.99 pbk
An absolute tour de force and winner of the TES Information Book Award for 1992. With its clear text and plentiful, well-chosen illustrations, it traces the history of black people (ie Afro-Caribbean) in this country from the probable presence of black people in the Roman Army to the present day. Among its many strengths are highlighted information boxes which make it a supremely ‘browseable’ book and the constant underlining of the issues discussed by reference to individuals and their experiences. It is worth buying as well, for its illustrations, particularly the more recent photographs — including MP Fenner Brockway’s house daubed with swastikas and ‘Keep Britain White’ slogans, a house ‘for sale to an English family and footballer John Barnes back-heeling a banana — which shows us how far there still is to go in the struggle against racism. (10+)

CLAYTON, E
Pakistan
Heinemann, 1996 £9.25
ISBN: 0 431 072 469
KS 2

DAWSON, S
China (Fiesta)
Watts, 1998 £9.99
ISBN: 0 749 629 266
KS 2
India (Fiesta)
Watts, 1998 £9.99
ISBN: 0 749 629 274
KS 2

DESHPHANDE, C
Celebrations
photographs by Zul Mukhida, 1993,
A & C Black ‘World Wide Crafts’,
32pp, 0 7136 3714 5, £7.99 hbk
A delightful and practical book about festivals and how they are celebrated around the world. It includes plenty of ideas for making craft objects associated with the festivals and encourages children to experiment with their own designs. Craft ideas include making maracas for Mardi Gras, painting eggs for Easter, designing patterns for cards for Eid-ul-Fitr, making paper garland for Holi, paper dragons for the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, bracelets for Raksha Bandhan, decorating candles for Chanukkah. Clear instructions and brief information about the individual festivals make this a valuable resource book for home or school. (7+)

DRAMER, K
China (Games people play)
Children's Press, 1997 £10.99
ISBN: 0 516 203 088
KS 2

GANERI, A
I come from Palestine
Watts, 1994 £7.50
ISBN: 0 749 616 954
KS 2
I come from RoumaniaWatts, 1995 £8.99
ISBN: 0 749 618 590
KS 2
I come from China
Watts, 1994 £8.99
ISBN: 0 749 617 195
KS 2
New Beginnings: Celebrating Birth
0 237 51831 7
Growing Up: From Child to Adult
0 237 51832 5
Wedding Days: Celebrations of Marriage
0 237 51833 3

GANERA, A
Journey’s End: Death and Mourning
0 237 51834 1
1998, Evans ‘Life Times’,
32pp, £9.99 each hbk
This series examines the rites of passage ceremonies and traditions (birth, marriage etc) in the six major world religions. Attractively presented and clearly written, they will be of great interest to youngsters who will use the photos to share their own life experiences with you and be led into the text. I do so wish, though, that there had been some attempt to draw parallels between the religions and stress the commonality of the human condition rather than simply to concentrate on the outward observances which can lead to the reaction ‘Aren’t they strange.
We don’t do anything like that.’ (8+)

GREEN, J
Dealing with racism (How do I feel about)
Watts, 1996 £8.99
ISBN: 0 749 625 597
KS 2

GUNDARA, J and HEWITT, R
Racism
1999, Evans ‘Life Files’,
64pp, 0 237 51512 1, £10.99 hbk, 0 237 51654 3, £7.99 pbk
An impressive attempt to tackle racism, using a mixture of narrative, clippings, photographs to cover
a wide range of racism. It manages to transmit a powerful message about different kinds of racism, against different racial, ethnic, community groups around the world and the currency of racism, for example in the former Yugoslavia. A thought provoking book which recognises and explores the
fact that race, ethnic group and nationalism overlap and confuse what racism may or may not be.

See also Gangs and Bullies in the same series which discusses racist bullying. (10+)

HAKIM, A
The History of the African and Caribbean Communities in Britain
0 7502 1517 8
The History of the Asian Community in Britain
ROZINA VIZRAM, 0 7502 1518 6
1995, Wayland, 48pp, £9.99 each hbk
There is a pressing need for more books that speak to young people about the experience of the minority communities in Britain and these books will fill a gaping hole on many library shelves. They are very much history books and take the long view which means that the post-war period, which saw the major development of these communities, only takes up
four of the forty-five pages of text. The narrative at times is rather rushed, seeking to explain the economic, social and political factors involved in
such huge issues as the growth and break-up of Empire. For me the major interest lay in the many
and varied case studies of individual black and Asian people and their contribution to the development of this country — but then I am a big fan of empathy
in the study of History despite the bad press it often gets. Well-designed with plenty of original photographs and contemporary drawings, these books are much to be welcomed — but I would still like to see some books that deal more fully with the history of these communities in the post-war period. (12+)

HIRST, M
A flavour of India (Food and festivals)
Wayland, 1998 £8.99
ISBN: 0 750 222 190
KS 2

HONEYMAN, S
Saudi Arabia
MacDonald Young Books, 1995 £9.99
ISBN: 0 750 014 865
KS 2

HOWARD, D
India (Games people play)
Children's Press, 1996 £10.99
ISBN: 0 516 044 370
KS 2

HUSAIN, S
What Do We Know About Islam?
Macdonald ‘What Do We Know About’,
48pp 0 7500 1971 9, £9.99 hbk, 0 7500 2798 3, £5.99 pbk
It is refreshing to come across a book about religion that is so lively and interesting. With its clarity of style and diversity of illustration (photographs, maps and drawings), this is a book which will appeal to all children. Each double page spread starts with a question on a particular aspect of Islam which is dealt with in a simple yet very informative manner. There is so much in this book that can initiate further discussion and lead to various projects. A useful glossary and index are also included.

See also Buddism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism and Sikhism. (8+)

JACOBSEN, P
A family in the Persian Gulf
Wayland, 1985, £4.75
ISBN 0 850 784 31X
KS 2

KAUR-SINGH, K
My Sikh life
Wayland, 1997 £9.50
ISBN 0 750 213 027
KS 2
Sikh Gurdwara
Watts, 1998 £9.99
ISBN: 0 749 631 554
KS 2

KHAN, E
Pakistan
Wayland, 1996 £10.99
ISBN: 0 750 217 790
KS 2

KINDERSLEY, B&A
Children Just Like Me
1995, Dorling Kindersley, 80pp, 0 7513 5327 2, £10.99 hbk
The DK style of vibrant colour photographs on a
stark white background is now unmistakable. This large format book, produced in association with UNICEF, looks at the lives of 36 children around the world, from Nicole who lives in Los Angeles with a swimming pool in the garden, a housekeeper and parents who work in the film industry, to Meena and her family living in a temporary structure with no water or electricity on a construction site in New Delhi; from Levi, an Inuit from Northern Canada, to Suchart, a novice Buddhist monk from Thailand. We learn about their families, their schools, their
favourite food, the clothes they like to wear and their hopes for the future. As a cross section of the world’s children it works wonderfully; any user though
would need to realise that within each country there
is a range of children in terms of socio-economic background, racial origin and way of life. What
comes shining through, of course, is the importance to all these children of the bedrocks of family, friends and school.

Additional features include an introduction to each continent, some excerpts from the Kindersleys’ travel diary, and an index.

This is a valuable addition to any library both for general interest and as a model for children’s writing about themselves. Readers also get a chance to join a penpal club sponsored by Royal Mail International. (10+)

See also I am a Buddhist, I am a Greek Orthodox. I am a Rastafarian. I am a Sikh. (8+)

LIM, J
Exploring Chinese food
Mantra, 1989 £3.99
ISBN: 0 947 679 91X
KS 2

MAMDANI, S
Traditions from India
Wayland, 1998 £9.99
ISBN: 0 750 221 852
KS 2
Traditions from China
Wayland, 1998 £9.99
ISBN: 0 750 221 844
KS 2

MARTELL, H, M
The World of Islam: Before 1700
1998, Evans
‘Looking Back’, 64pp, 0 237 51726 4,
£14.00 hbk
A comprehensive history of the world of Islam written clearly with an unbiased approach. In nine chapters it covers the period from the pre-Islamic era to the life of Mohammad. It then goes on to show how the religion spread first in Arabia and later across the world. Various Muslim empires, their caliphs and famous dynasties are also discussed with maps to show the expanse of the Islamic rule throughout history. The book also gives detailed information about the contribution followers of the faith have made to science and the arts. Literary contributions made by Muslims during this period are also detailed and illustrated with both elegant figures and relevant photographs. (10+)

MARTIN, F
Indonesia
Heinemann, 1998 £9.50
ISBN: 0 431 045 526

MOYSE, S
Chinese New Year
Wayland, 1996 £9.50
ISBN: 0 750 219 394
KS 2

NICLR
Today and Yesterday
Pupil book, teachers'notes and audio cassette
KS2

ROOP, P
Martin Luther King
Heinemann, 1997 £8.25
ISBN: 0 431 024 839
KS 2

ROUSSOU, M
I am a Greek Orthodox
Watts, 1985 £8.99
ISBN 0 863 132 596
KS 2

SANDERS, P
What Do You Know About Bullying
1993, Franklin Watts/Gloucester Press,
32pp, 0 7496 1693 8, £10.99 hbk
What Do You Know About Bullying includes two storylines about a boy and girl, respectively coping with different kinds of bullying — extortion and racist bullying. Episodes are intercut with information and discussion pages in stimulating and engaging way that brings the issues to life. (8+)
Stand Up for Your Rights
1998, Two-Can, 96pp, 1 85434 631 8, £12.99 hbk 1 85434 573 7, £7.99 pbk
Published to mark the 50^th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, this title has all the strengths and weaknesses you would expect for a book written and illustrated by young people from all over the world and edited by committee (or in this case two editorial committees and a Design and Illustration team). Wonderfully comprehensive in its treatment, the book takes each article of the Declaration, explains it simply and then illustrates through case study, poems and pictures how these rights are abused or ignored around the world. Plenty of information then, although the artwork, gathered from around the world, varies in quality. A very handy book to support the PSHE work on Human Rights but children will need to be directed to it — it is not one to just put on the shelves and hope it will go. (8+)

SHUI, A
A flavour of China (Food and festivals)
Wayland, 1998 £8.99
ISBN: 0 750 222 239
KS 2

STEWART, J
Moroccan family
A&C Black, 1985, £3.95
ISBN 0 713 626 410
KS 2

STONE, S
Eid-Ul-Fitr
Paperback
Black, 1994 £3.99
ISBN: 0 713 640 839
KS 2

WATERLOW, J
We come from China
Wayland, 1998 £8.99
ISBN: 0 750 222 271
KS 2

WATSON, C
Football stadium
Watts, 1997 £8.99
ISBN: 0 749 627 948
KS 2

WILKINS, V
Martin Luther King
ill.Lynne Willey, 1998,
Franklin Watts ‘Famous People, Famous Lives’,
48pp, 0 7496 2983 5, £6.99 hbk
An account of Martin Luther King’s life and his beliefs in progress through peaceful protest narrated via a text aimed at young readers with large print. The result is a certain over —simplicity and lack of emotion, but it is pleasing to see a leading black figure included in this series (16+).