This Is the Way We Go to School: A Book about Children Around the World

Children all over the world go to school, but how they get there varies greatly. In the first part of this book, American students are shown en route to school on foot and on roller skates, in a school bus and in cars. Bjorkman's pictures are playful, and Baer's rhymed couplets are pleasant, if uninspired. (``Liz and Larry, as a rule, / wear their jogging shoes to school.'') But when the scope broadens to include youngsters from other countries, both the verses and the illustrations become considerably more compelling. Children are seen traveling to school by vaporetto and helicopter, on cross-country skis, by train and double-decker bus, in a small skiff. Although the book provides an appealing global panorama, it might have been more informative--and less cumbersome--had the specific location of the students' homes been indicated on each page. Instead, readers must turn to a list at the end of the book to learn where each child lives. Nevertheless, children will enjoy taking a look at the differences--and the similarities--between their lives and those of their contemporaries in all lands. Ages 3-7. (Sept.)