My School in the Rain Forest: How Children Attend School Around the World
Written by Margriet Ruurs
Boyds Mills Press, ISBN 978-1-59078-601-7

An engaging look at some of the world’s most unusual schools. At a school that sits on the edge of the Sahara, students are learning to speak English from a teacher who stands in front of a Webcam in North America. These students are learning in a virtual classroom. In another part of the world, kids aren’t waiting to ride the bus to school—they are waiting to hop in a boat that will take them to a school that floats on a river. And some kids don’t mind heights, especially those who attend a school on the slope of a mountain in the Himalayas, in one of the most remote corners of the earth. Margriet Ruurs contacted teachers and volunteers, many of whom took cameras in hand to photograph their schools and students. In this lively photo-essay, readers get to know students—from the arid plains of southern Afghanistan to the rain forests of Guatemala—who are pursuing their dreams of a brighter future.

Contact the author at margriet@margrietruurs.com for school/conference presentations about her travels, the making of this book and how your school can support education in developing countries as a service learning project.

REVIEWS
“Accessible and inspiring. . . . Impressive in scope. . . . An excellent choice for the classroom and a strong introduction to such topics as global diversity and the importance of education.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Gives a good sense of the vastly different educational experiences of children around the world.” —Booklist

Awards
2009 Best Bets for nonfiction, Ontario Library Association;
Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books of the Year, 2010, special interest.