Happy 50th Birthday to the “it’s a small world” attraction! This week, I have given my opinions of the “it’s a small world” hardcover book and the “it’s a small world” Bathtub Boat Set. Check out both of those posts to see more of the fun “small world” products that Disney has produced.
We bought this book for our son’s 1st birthday. As you can tell by the worn corner, it has been read and re-read many times. “It’s Small World:” Color Our World is a square board book. It is full of bright, full-page illustrations. It’s not a tiny board book. This one measures about 7 square inches. I was so excited about the pictures and the around-the-world themes of the book that I didn’t even notice the pullout pages until our sons started pulling them out! (Yes, even with the note on the front cover that says, “Includes colorful pullout pages!”)
The first and last pages, of course, only have one pullout page because of the way the book is constructed.
I love how obviously predominant each color is on its page. I’ve seen color books where that’s not the case and it can be confusing for kids who are learning their colors.
I like how the illustrations on the pullout pages match up so well with the main page. It makes one, big, continuous picture.
The pages sometimes require a little bit of jiggling to slide them back in, so our kids sometimes need a little help with this. They still love pulling them out and pushing them back in though.
The rhymes and simple and cute. I also like how this book shows children colors, while also showing them a little bit about geography and culture in different parts of the world. Without coming right out and saying it, kids can see that Egypt has deserts, Brazil has jungles, and the Philippines are islands. Yes, there is more to Australia than Aborigines and rocky cliffs, but this is a children’s book; it should be over-simplified. That allows kids to learn about the big differences in areas of our world. It gives them a starting place. When they are older, they can learn about the things that make countries less distinct, like bustling cities that look alike and people all over the world wearing tennis shoes and jeans.
Like the attraction itself and the song lyrics that we know by heart, this book leaves us with the idea that, no matter how different people and places are, we are all a part of the same world.
Even with it’s bright-colored illustrations, super-sturdy pages, and pullout extras, this book is only about $7. It would be a great addition to a child’s bookshelf. Below are the details about this book. You can find it on the Disney Books website.
It’s a Small World: Color Our World
by: Elle D. Risco
Illustrated by: Nancy Kubo
ISBN 978-142316009-0
14 pages
Copyright 2013 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Nothing was received in exchange for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not solicited by any company or organization.
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