Doctors Without Borders

Gr 2–5—Aiming to inspire intellectual curiosity and nurture a child's emerging social conscience, these books give readers a look at the important work of several humanitarian organizations. Covered here are groups that help those in need, regardless of political or religious affiliation, with a particular focus on assisting impoverished people. UNICEF presents the plight of child workers to illustrate the kind of social causes they deal with; each book follows this structure and also provides the history of the organization and describes the various jobs performed by those within the organization. Action words appear on every spread, inviting readers to continue to explore the issues, ask questions, and get involved to make a difference. These calls to action are age-appropriate and are a great way to inspire children to get into a humanitarian mind-set. Although the visual design lacks harmony in terms of color, the content here is strong enough to make these series titles valuable, especially for schools with service-learning programs.—Joy Piedmont, LREI, New York City