I like, I don't like by Anna Baccelliere illustrated by Ale Ale

Every child in the world has the right:

• to have a family
• to play
• to receive an education
• to be taken care of
• to be comforted
• to not be mistreated in any way
• to be loved
• to have a name and a nationality
• to express their opinions
• to meet others and make friends
• to have a life of dignity 

AND YET ...

This book shows a child enjoying every day life contrasted with the life of a child worker.

One child likes shoes (big ones her mum wears are fun to play with) while the other is working as a shoe shiner. One child likes his Lego bricks while the other carries actual heavy bricks from the kiln on his head. One child lies on her favourite rug while the other child works at a loom - her back is not even supported as she sits all day on a hard bench. Another young child enjoys talking to her friends on her own mobile phone while a young boy scavenges at the rubbish dump sifting through broken phones looking for materials to sell. 

The illustrations are stylised photographs that are painted and textured. They look straight into the faces of children from both sides of wealth and poverty, 

contrasting broad smiles with a deep weariness.

This is one of the most profound books I have discovered this year. It needs to be in every school library and I am planning to add a copy to my own bulging shelves. I would have loved to share this book with my senior primary students as a part of our unit of work on the Rights of the Child. 

This book is also a perfect title to share the UN Sustainable Devlopment Goal 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth. 

I like, I don't like was originally written in Italian with the title Amo non amo . Ale + Ale are the Italian artists Alessandro Lecis and Alessandra Panzeri.  Anna Baccelliere also lives in Italy. 

The "school-librarian part of my brain gets excited when I see books like this. That is, I think about teachers who may need particular books at different moments in their curriculum throughout the year. Those teachers wanting to talk to students about child labor—and, really, I’d use this book with middle schoolers or high schoolers too—would be wise to pick up a copy of this." Seven Impossible things Before Breakfast

A hard, heartfelt read. Kirkus

The book never loses sight of its purpose, pairing wealthy children with those living in poverty and doing child labor is a way to make sure that the message resonates with children and that they learn about their privilege in the world. Waking Brain Cells

This book will encourage children to look at the world from someone else’s point of view – perhaps more important now than ever, and to feel gratitude for what they have. Rhapsody in Books

With your senior primary students I would follow the sharing of I like, I don't like with a brief book talk about each of these:

A Cardboard Palace (YA title)

Trash

The Girl of the Southern Sea

The Most Beautiful Place in the World

Lost Riders

Do Something for Someone else

Do Something for Someone Else by Loll Kirby illustrated by Yas Imamura

Do Something for Someone Else: Meet 12 real-life children spreading kindness with simple acts of everyday activism.

"The children in this book teach us that when each of us does something to face a problem we re passionate about we can change the world together."

This book is published by Magic Cat Publishing but here in Australia it is distributed by Walker Books. You can see inside this book here. You can see the author reading an extract from her book here. 

Many years ago I used to focus on children just like those found in this book. Young people who demonstrated amazing empathy, problem solving, determination and compassion. Today this list would also include the wonderful Greta Thunberg. 

I used to talk about:

Ryan Hreljac from USA

Iqbal Masih from Pakistan

Craig Kielburger from Canada

Daniel and William Clarke from Australia

If I was using this book (Do Something for Someone Else) with a class I would focus on one of the children each day over two or three weeks.  In this book we meet twelve children from around the world. Here is a list of their projects:

Sant Jordi from Spain "Preventing loneliness in older people".

Kesz Valdez from Philippines "Protecting children who live on the streets".

Havana Chapman-Edwards from USA "Diversity in children's books".

Winter Vincent from Australia "Providing clean water".

Marie-Astrid Mence from France "Encouraging the next generation of young Black ballet dancers".

Selin Örnek from Turkey "Using robotics to help blind people".

Katie Stagliano from USA "Growing a healthy end to hunger".

Emily White from UK "Supporting and campaigning for disabled people".

Christopher Kleynhans and Reece Slade from South Africa "Raising awareness of mental health issues".

Mohamad Al Jounde from Syria "Education for refugee children".

Elena Meyer from Germany "Inspiring children to engage with music".

Yuqiu Chen from China "Providing medical care for vulnerable people".

This beautifully composed picture book is a source of inspiration for primary aged children and the beginning to a generation of activists. A key literary addition to our schools, libraries, and homes. Reading Time

I mentioned Yas Imamura (Love in the Library) a couple of days ago and so my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything loaned me Do Something for Someone Else.

Lost Riders by Elizabeth Laird

When you step into a new book it is like holding the hand of the author. You have to trust that he or she will protect you from harm. Right from the first page I knew Lost Riders by Elizabeth Laird would be a harrowing journey and it was but thankfully Elizabeth Laird is a master storyteller with huge compassion. There were times when I almost stopped reading this book but now I am glad I persisted. Do not expect a trivial happy ending but our hero and his brother will at least be returned to their home and family. This is a powerful, emotional and important book suitable for a very mature Primary reader.

Rashid lives in Pakistan with his mother, baby sister and younger brother. Their father is dead and they are living in extreme poverty although as a young boy of eight Rashid has not yet realised the extent of his mother’s struggles.

One day a young Uncle arrives with an offer to take the boys to Dubai where they will have the best of everything “Clothes, toys, good education … rich Arabs bring little friends for them (their children) into their families. Treat them like their own. Give them bicycles and toy cars and all the food they can eat. They pay very well for them too.” This magical picture of life in Dubai is so far from the truth. The utterly horrible place where the boys are taken by people smugglers and the brutality of working as a camel jockey is, as I said, almost too awful to read but Rashid is a boy with a deep intelligence. He learns quickly which is partly how he survives but he also has an emotional intelligence well beyond his tender years.

I did not know anything about camel racing. Thankfully this practice is now banned. All of our reading is an experience and so although it was a difficult one I am glad Elizabeth Laird gave me the experience of meeting Rashid and other children like him.  I am really looking forward to hearing more from Elizabeth Laird at the IBBY Congress in London this year.

If you read this book you should also look for Ibqal by Francesco D’Adamo in our school library which is about a boy who is forced to work in a carpet factory.