Children tend to identify with other children, no matter which part of the globe they come from and a child’s eye view of the world is probably an excellent vantage point for understanding both the differences and common ground of other cultures.

Picture the World highlights eight countries - Japan, Vietnam, India, Turkey, Russia, Kenya, the United States and Ecuador - sketching out their geography and culture in a series of beautifully laid out pages with a mixture of text, photographs and art work, much of the latter created by young people between the ages of seven and 15 years.

The text provides enough information to whet the appetite and encourage young readers to want to know more. The very varied photographs and illustrations, all of a high quality, give some insight into the visual culture which underpins each country. Tracy Spates’s archive of children’s artwork shown here is fascinating. Their use of line, colour, shape and form reflects the artistic influences of their home lands, yet there is also something wonderfully shared about their vision and preoccupations.

This is an optimistic book which would make a wonderful resource for project work in schools. An art activity is included for each country, some more ambitious thanothers, with suggestions for indigenous music to listen to as an aid to inspiration.

Elaine Williams