Wednesday, October 27, 2010

{Good Read} where children sleep....


When I first read about the book, Where Children Sleep,  I immediately pre-ordered myself a copy. It arrived last week and it's as beautiful as it is real. James Mollison photographed children's bedrooms around the world, from sixteen countries including the US, Mexico, Brazil, the UK, Italy, Kenya, Senegal, Japan, China and Nepal. His interest in this idea came from his acknowledgment of the importance of his own room growing up and he wanted to document how circumstances & different social situations would affect where a child sleeps. There is both a picture of the child and the child's sleeping space/room, plus a little description of the child, which I think is genius. I find the juxtaposition of both, extremely intriguing and effective. This book is written with the age groups 9-13 years old in mind. 

"I hope this book will help children think about inequality, within and between societies around the world." says Mollison in his introduction.


These are only a few of the rooms- I just wanted to give you a peek. The idea of where children sleep appeals to two sides of me. Being that I make decor for children's rooms, there is a curiosity about how and where different children live- what children find comforting. But before I started klt:works I worked for years in social services. I taught in a juvenile detention, worked with at risk youth, and found jobs for people with significant disabilities. I have had the opportunity to see the diversity in how youth live in just the small town that I call home. This book embodies so much that I am interested in. I also look forward to sharing it with Sayer when he is older. A definite "Good Read".

8 comments:

  1. Wow, I would love to get this book! Looks so interesting and beautiful!

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  2. This looks like my kind of book. I posted one of David Gillanders' photos the other day for the same reasons, I think that it's important that we all realise how others live, especially in this often artificially sweet blogging world. I will tell my sister about this book, she works with orphans in Uganda. Thanks for showing it.

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  3. First I want to say I really like you blog. You just show good things!!
    Thank you so much to share this beautiful book. I will buy for me too.

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  4. this book is very interesting! The pictures show the real life and it makes you think...

    I am happy to discover your blog.

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  5. Hey Kristin, When I first saw the cover I thought, 'cool! a great design book on kids rooms' and then I kept looking at the photos and thought 'wow, it's real, it's both wonderful and rough'. The mattress outdoors, it broke my heart. The princess room on the other hand creeped me out. I did not know that about you, this other life you lead helping others. Really, why am I not surprised you helped others in more significant ways than one? I am so glad I've gotten to know you better K, because you really are a terrific person.

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  6. Fascinating, absolutely. What a brilliant idea. Kudoos to Mollison for such a great concept. What a great read between parent and child, would open up such an opportunity for so many great discussions. The good, the bad, and the ugly and all that's in between. Really great. This is why I love your blog so much, I am always discovering something truly extraordinary ... well done you!

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  7. Such an interesting book! Just added to my wishlist. Thank you so much for sharing. :)

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  8. So glad to share this book with you all. It truly is beautiful in so many ways. Thanks for stopping by! :)

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