Photographs have the power to transport us to another time or place and can provide glimpses into others’ lives. They offer gestures and expressions to contemplate, unfamiliar settings to explore, and stories waiting to be told.

In classrooms, photo-essays with a multicultural focus present opportunities to initiate conversations about different countries and peoples and challenge students to consider experiences and relationships that are personal and universal. These recent photo-essays published for children focus on family and shared experiences, and offer a peek into cultures far from home.

Family
Pictures of mothers from around the world holding infants and children in their arms, on their backs, and in their laps; comforting them; bringing them to school; and helping them with homework illustrate Marla Stewart Konrad’s Mom and Me (Tundra, 2009; PreS-Gr 2). Large, colorful photographs present both urban and rural scenes of parents helping children, and children helping parents carry water, weave, and feed livestock. Ask your students to identify the different activities they see children engaged in with their mothers in these inviting images.

Maya Ajmera, Sheila Kinkade, and Cynthia Pon detail another relationship that knows no borders in Our Grandparents (Charlesbridge, Feb. 2010; PreS-Gr 2). In this photo-essay, dozens of striking pictures of older adults playing, reading, listening, and exploring with their grandchildren in places as diverse as Greenland and Japan and Pakistan and Cuba illuminate this special bond. Labels on the photos and a simple map identify the countries where the scenes were snapped. Konrad’s Grand, to be published in April, 2010 (Tundra), offers additional images remarkable for their detail and diversity. From both books, readers will glean information about the homes, treats enjoyed, and leisure activities of the people photographed. Ask readers to point out some familiar and unfamiliar foods or styles of dress they see.

In the foreword, Archbishop Desmond Tutu states the overall theme of the book - grandparents receive the gift of seeing the world, once again, through the eyes of children and have a responsibility to teach their grandchildren "Love. Compassion. Integrity. Perseverance." Clear, colorful photographs show the two generations engaged in a variety of activities and invite careful observation. The pictures are clearly labeled with the name of the families' countries and highlight common threads, e.g., "listening," in Tibet, India, Mexico, and USA. Spare text defines the actions represented. The book concludes with "Five Things to Do with Your Grandparents."

Pictures tell a thousand words … although really, no words could adequately capture the love between generations, especially between grandparents and their grandchildren. Just look at this cover …

This heartwarming title begins with all the different ways to say “Grandfather” and “Grandmother” throughout the world, with an assortment of caring pictures to illustrate that special multi-generational bond. Then the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu steps in with wise words of loving wisdom: “Grandchildren are a wonderful gift. They allow us to see the world, once again, through the eyes of a child. … Their joyful innocent awakes the child in us and gives us hope for the future.” He also offers gentle reminders: “As grandparents we also bear important responsibilities. … If we do our job well, our grandchildren will grow to have open minds and open hearts. … The love and support we give our grandchildren helps safeguard their future – and makes the world a better place.” Oh, if only if were that easy …

A co-production of the Global Fund for Children, the three authors honor grandparents throughout the world, offering a book-end spread of “Five Things to Do with Your Grandparents” to strengthen bonds. Also included is a map of the world, with the represented countries colored in … images originating from Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Middle East, and Southeast Asia are disappointingly sparse. A bit more diversity would certainly have found greater appreciation.

That said, with all the racially-divided hardships and historical challenges Americans have faced (and continue to face), only in America (at least amidst these images) can you find a picture of a Caucasian grandmother holding her clearly mixed African American granddaughter. As the parents of young hapa children, that certainly spoke to me as a welcoming sign of making the world a better place … truly the future is with our children.

In the foreward to this attractive photo collection of grandparents and their grandchildren, Bishop Desmond Tutu states: "We make sure that the wisdom of our ancestors is passed on to the next generation." Written in the voice of today's grandchildren, the simple sentences that form the body of the text accompany engaging photographs of the world's children sharing stories, celebrating holidays, feeling happy, safe and loved, and learning from one another. Sometimes wearing traditional clothing, sometimes dressed in contemporary wear, kids and their grandparents from Peru, China, the United States, Russia, Morocco, Kenya, Yemen and other countries smile out from the photographs. A few look serious, as a child points out something on the computer to a Japanese grandparent and a Pakistani grandparent reads a picture book to his young grandson. Some proceeds go to The Global Fund for Children, but the real contribution will be to further the relationships of the young and young-at-heart viewers of this book. Translations of "Grandma" and "Grandpa" in different languages and a map reinforce the international breadth of this charmer.

In a touching foreword Archbishop Desmond Tutu acknowledges how important the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren is for both. Simple declarative sentences describe how grandparents behave: they love their grandchildren, play and laugh, tell good stories, share stories about their past. Each double spread displays a group of engaging photographs that clearly reveal the wonderful diversity of cultures found both in the USA, and other countries. The first double spread shows some sweet photographs, and then lists the names for grandmother and grandfather in many different languages including Japanese, Swahili, and Arabic. The final two pages sum up some activities to do with grandparents: play together, record memories, plan an adventure. Photo credits are provided on the last page. Some of the proceeds for this book are donated to the Global Fund for Children.

Babu or Bibi? Opa or Oma? Dada or Dadi? Zayde or Bubbe? Whatever you call them, grandparents are people who love and encourage, listen and play, teach, share, celebrate, and take care of us; we take care of them in return. These attributes shine in the smiles of the people in outstanding, emotive photographs from all corners of the globe, simple text aligned with images both personal and universal that speak a thousand words. With a foreword by Archibishop Desmond Tutu, this is one of the books from the very lovely collection of books from the Global Fund for Children collection.

Grandparents and grandchildren the world over play, hug, listen and learn in this beautifully photographed picture book. The text is minimal, with the focus on the images of the oldest and youngest members of an extended family. Each double-page spread introduces something that grandparents and grandchildren do together, with the accompanying photos offering various cultural interpretations of that activity. For example, "Grandparents explore the world with us," includes photos of grandfathers and grandchildren examining a computer in Japan, riding a sled in Greenland and exclaiming over a large lizard in the United States. The message of this book is heartfelt and important: Though different in appearance and native country, we all are united in love.

Beautiful photographs accompany this book's statements about familial interactions common around the globe, such as "grandparents explore the world with us." Words such as love, listen, play, and celebrate are highlighted in vivid colors, encouraging recognition and participation during subsequent read-alouds. A map labeling the featured countries and the different words for "grands" enrich the exploration too.

Striking photographs of grandparents and grandchildren from many cultures emphasize the bond between children and their elders, and affirm the universal qualities that all people share. It's a wonderful book for browsing and talk.

Whether it's Opa and Oma in Germany or Ojiichan and Obaachan in Japan, all of our grandparents are alike: they love us, they explore the world with us, they tell us stories, and more. In this book, dozens of children are pictured with their grandparents in playful, celebratory, traditional, and educational settings. Regardless of race or creed, children will relate to all of these families, from those sledding in Greenland to those lighting a menorah in the United Kingdom. Not only will this book foster an appreciation of other cultures, but it will also teach children about the special role grandparents play in our lives. At the end of the book, there are suggestions of "Five Things to Do with Your Grandparents," from recording memories to planning an adventure. Additionally, a foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu highlights, from personal experience, the roles and responsibilities of grandparents, and their ability to shape the lives and minds of their grandchildren. For ages nine to twelve.

Pictures tell a thousand words, although really, no words could adequately capture the love between generations, especially between grandparents and grandchildren. In a corproduction with the Global Fund for Children, the three authors honor grandparents throughout the world, offering a bookend spread of "Five Things to Do With Your Grandparents" to strengthen bonds.