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.

Children from all over the world have more in common than they often realize. One shared element is the bond that children share with their grandparents. This book begins with two pages of the words “grandpa” and “grandma” written in many different languages. The following page is a poignant forward from Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In it he talks about the gift of grandchildren and the elder’s role and responsibility in helping children bridge the present and the past. The balance of the book consists of a single sentence on each page that explains the special role of a grandparent, such as “Grandparents teach us what they know.” The photographs that accompany each sentence are extraordinary. They feature kids from countries as varied as Japan, Greenland, Yemen, Pakistan, and Italy engaged in a one on one activity with a grandparent. The book concludes by listing five things that young readers can do with their grandparents, such as learn about their family. The text and the photographs are moving and this book is highly recommended, especially as a source for introducing children to other cultures and for valuing diversity.

Featuring vibrant photos of grandparents with grandchildren, often in pairs, from more than 30 countries, with an additional dozen or more profiling varied cultural realities in the USA, this affectionate book demonstrates the joy and respect experienced across generations. Using multiple languages, the words for grandmother and grandfather are highlighted between the title page and Tutu's Foreword.

Additionally, this book is both supported by and, with its sales, supports the work of the Global Fund for Children, a nonprofit organization "committed to advancing the dignity of children and youth around the world, by teaching the value of diversity." Also, backmatter includes a world map, identifying the countries represented in the photos, and a couple of pages of Things to Dotogether. A variety of skin tones, assorted backgrounds in the photos, as well as captivating activities, or simply the involvement in being present to each other, are all further demonstration of active language used in the text to engage readers. As one moves through this charming book, one can be compelled to remember one's own grandparents and the enchantment of those experiences, or be energized to launch a similar opportunity.

Our Grandparents: A Global Album does a great job of serving as a tribute to Grandparent’s roles in the lives of their grandchildren. Large, full color, action photos capture the love and laughter of such a special and universal bond. While the U.S. is represented several times, a comprehensive glimpse of people from around the world is complemented by simple, powerful, statements that convey the importance of passing on tradition and nurturing subsequent generations.

Our Grandparents explores the intergenerational bonding of grandparents and grandchildren throughout the world. Poignant photographs show stories of love, compassion, strength and history. They also show how "the wisdom of our ancestors is passed on to the next generation." The books ends with Five Things to Do with Your Grandparents.

"Grandchildren are a wonderful gift," Desmond Tutu begins in the foreward to this book. As grandchildren bring a joy and energy to the world of their elders, so do their grandparents bring experience, guidance and love into a child's young life. It is the latter that this picture book celebrates. The text is spare. After a two-page photographic guide to the many names by which grandparents are known throughout the world, the book's double-page layout contains photographs of grandparents and grandchildren, each accompanied by a single sentence about the special relationship between them. Over two dozen cultures are represented, although the USA is the only one making multiple appearances. The final pages are given over to a double-page map colorfully identifying the countries from which the photographs have come and suggestions of "Five Things to Do with Your Grandparents." This is a very nice tribute to share with grandchildren of a very young age and grandparents of, well, somewhat greater maturity.

This nonfiction book includes amazing photographs of grandparents and children from around the world. The book begins with a touching foreward by the Archbishop Desmond Tutu which discusses how precious grandchildren are and what they can teach us as adults. The colors and text used in the book are spot on and inspirational. Each photograph is labeled by country. They are interesting to look at and represent a large variety of race, tradition, and location. The last several pages include a colorful map and labels the countries that are included. This book is also unique in that it is developed by the Global Fund for Children (www.globalfundforchildren.org) and part of the proceeds from the purchase are used to support the world's most vulnerable children and youth.

This book is an excellent reminder of the important role that grandparents can and do play in their grandchildren's lives. The most striking feature of the book is the wonderfully intimate and natural photographs of grandparents and their grandchildren in countries around the world. The photos are clear and large, making them easily accessible to young children. Grandparents are shown as active and engaged in a variety of physically and mentally challenging activities, including teaching, pushing a sled, planting a tree, etc., as well as enjoying quiet moments. The book's text is appropriate for one and two year-olds, as the same sentence structure is repeated throughout: “Grandparents” - [verb] - [rest of sentence]. For example: “Grandparents explore the world with us” and “Grandparents teach us what they know”. Children will receive reinforcement of the idea that people around the world are similar in their enjoyment of a feeling of connectedness with their family. The only drawback of the book is that there are more photos of grandparents and grandchildren from the U.S. than from other countries. However, the variety of photos of U.S. families does demonstrate the ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity within the U.S. well.

No matter what language is used to say grandma and grandpa, grandparents all have something in common. They love to be with their grandchildren, take them places, and explore, learn, and laugh with them. This book also suggests five wonderful things to do with readers' own grandparents.

Grandparents and grandchildren share a special relationship. In his introduction to the book, Archbishop Desmond Tutu writes that the joyful innocence of grandchildren allows us to appreciate life's simple pleasures again, and that grandparents "help bridge the present with the past." With beautiful photographs from around the world (each country is noted), the book's authors demonstrate many of the ways that grandparents and grandchildren connect. "Our grandparents love us. They give the biggest hugs and hold our hands. Even when we speak softly, they listen. They encourage us."

As readers peruse moving photographs of the two generations flying a kite, making tamales, learning the banjo, planting seedlings, sharing old photographs, lighting a menorah, and more, the book's message is clear: No matter where they live, grandparents and grandchildren everywhere share something special. The customs and clothing portrayed add to the richness of the book.

The words grandma and grandpa are translated into 19 languages, including Hawaiian, Yiddish, Haitian, Creole, Hindi, and Vietnamese. Activity suggestions on the last page offer ways to explore the past, record memories, play, and plan adventures with grandparents. Includes a biracial family.

Yeye. Babushka. Deda. Oma. What better way to celebrate our common humanity than to honor the love of our grandparents? As Archbishop Desmond Tutu writes, “In our role as elders, we help bridge the present with the past… We make sure that the wisdom of our ancestors is passed on to the next generation.” In Our Grandparents: A Global Album, the authors bridge both cultures and generations by inviting readers to meet grandparents across the world as they bond with their own grandchildren.

Each two-page spread features a simple line of text revealing a universal truth about family, illustrated with photographs of a grandparent and a grandchild from places as diverse as Yemen, Romania, and Peru. Vibrant country-specific photographs stand in lieu of drawn illustrations, transporting the reader to towns, villages, cities, and countryside to experience the diversity of ways grandparents play, learn, love, read and explore with their grandchildren. For example, next to “Grandparents explore the world with us,” we see three photographs: a Japanese grandson on the computer with his grandfather, a young girl in Greenland pushed on a sled by her grandfather, and a grandparent with grandchildren at the zoo in the United States.

Minimal text encourages children to interact with the striking photographs to identify different families’ activities, settings, customs and habits, while absorbing the importance of multigenerational bonding and the special role of grandparents. While the book does not include background information about the countries represented, the richness of the photographs and the questions they trigger provide a perfect springboard for a teacher or library group studying different cultures or places. The authors’ meticulous attention to cultural diversity within countries, as well as across them, avoids the narrow representation of a country with a single group. In photographs from the United States, for example, Native Americans feature prominently alongside Italian, African, Asian and mixed race American families.

Each photograph clearly labels the country of origin, and a map at the back of the book shows that “The grandparents and grandchildren in this book come from all over the world.” The authors also offer “Five Things to Do With Your Grandparents,” and part of the proceeds goes to The Global Fund for Children‘s grant-making for community-based projects benefiting children around the world.