cover image If the World Were 100 People: A Visual Guide to Our Global Village

If the World Were 100 People: A Visual Guide to Our Global Village

Jackie McCann, illus. by Aaron Cushley. Crown, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-31070-0

This visually engaging nonfiction picture book begins with a simple conceit: “It’s tricky to picture 8,000,000,000 people, so instead, let’s imagine the whole planet is a village where 100 people live.” McCann proceeds to distill statistics about the 100 villagers, covering facts such as binary gender, physical characteristics, population distribution, housing security, first languages, literacy, access to electricity and internet, wealth distribution, and more, and closing with an assessment of the future. The upfront prose gently advocates for change where needed: “Every year, about a third of all the food produced in the world goes to waste. That is more than enough to feed the 11 people who are hungry.” Bright, eye-catching art by Cushley features an inclusive cast and additional annotated facts. An informative, appealing primer on societal data. Ages 4–8. [em](July) [/em]