Image Credit: Chronicle Books LLC, Clotilde Perrin

Oh this is quite a special little book. Clotilde Perrin’s At the Same Moment, Around the World gracefully tackles the concepts of cultural diversity and global time zones. It’s quite a difficult concept to grasp, at any age, the idea that even though it may be five o’clock in the evening and you’re eating dinner, in another part of the world, someone is eating their breakfast and starting a new day.

Each page introduces a new person going about their day in their respective country. The first page shows Keita in Senegal helping his father count fish at six am. His day starts very early but at the same moment an hour later in Paris, Benedict is eating breakfast and getting ready for school. I love how this book shows global families, relationships and everyday culture. The story ends where it begins; and so does the trip around the globe.

The illustrations are very unique and beautiful; Perrin’s pencil drawings are scratchy and very detailed with warm colors and the human figures have large heads with almond eyes. It’s obvious she put a lot of research into this book because there are little details like Arabic, French and Japanese words woven into the scenery. She also hides clocks, watches and globes within the illustrations. At the back of the book, there’s a large fold out map that reintroduces every character in the book and points to their respective time zone. This is a pretty smart addition to the book, as it further visually teaches the concept of time zones. This is a GREAT book to add to your classroom and use to teach your kids about not only other cultures, but global time as well.

Recommended for: K-1st Grade and up
Great for: Cultural Diversity, Time Zones, Geography, Discussion, Storytelling
Book Info: At the Same Moment, Around the World by Clotilde Perrin, 2014 Chronicle Books LLC, ISBN: 9781452122083