David J. Smith — Author

Biography

David J. Smith is a classroom teacher with over 25 years experience teaching middle and high school English, geography and social studies. He achieved national recognition for his unique method of teaching seventh graders to draw maps of the entire world from memory, now published as a highly successful curriculum, “Mapping the World by Heart.” In 1992, Smith won the U.S. Department of Education’s “A+ for Breaking the Mold” Award for his work. Since 1992, he has been a full-time educational consultant, giving lectures and workshops on informational technologies, geography and global issues to teachers, parents, student groups and others throughout the United States and in Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Time magazine, NBC's Today Show, the L.A. Times and the Associated Press, among others, have acknowledged Smith and the success of his curriculum. Smith has also written articles for The New York Times Education Life section, “The International Educator” and “The World Paper.”

Through his work with teachers, Smith developed the idea of creating a realistic picture of the world that would be understandable and accessible to young people. By imagining a village where each inhabitant represented 62 million individuals, David was able to pare Earth’s population down to a village of 100 people. The result is If the World Were a Village: A Book about the World’s People.

Upon shrinking the world’s population, proportions and relationships become more meaningful, statistics more manageable. Based on published figures, If the World Were a Village reveals some startling disparities. For instance, in the world village, there are 38 school-aged villagers — but of the 38 only 31 of them attend school and only 24 of them have enough food to eat. The world keeps changing and growing, and the data in the book has been kept current; between 2002 and 2014, it has been updated 23 times.

Smith believes that this book promotes “world-mindedness,” which is an attitude, an approach to life. At a time when parents and educators are looking to help children gain a better understanding of the world’s peoples and their ways of life, If the World Were a Village is a unique and objective resource. Through the surprising statistics and Smith’s tips on fostering a world view, children are encouraged to embrace the bigger picture and to establish their own place in the global village.

David Smith was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He has lived in England, Hawaii and Oregon, but now lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Awards

If

2016 - Rocky Mountain Book Award, RMBA, Short-listed
2016 - BC Young Readers' Choice Award, Red Cedar Book Awards, Winner
2016 - Silver Birch Express, Ontario Library Association, Short-listed
2015 - USBBY Outstanding International Books, honor list, International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), Winner
2015 - Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award, Canadian Library Association, Short-listed
2014 - 2014 OLA Best Bet List for Children, OLA’s Canadian Materials Committee, Winner
2014 - Eureka! Gold Award, California Reading Association, Winner 2014 - Books of the Year, Kidlit Picks, Quill & Quire, Winner

If America Were a Village

2010 - Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, NCSS-CBC, Winner

If the World Were a Village

2012 - Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Winner
2004 - Alberta Children’s Choice Rocky Mountain Book Award, Short-listed
2003 - Nautilus Award, Winner
2003 - Our Choice - Starred Selection, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Winner
2003 - Children’s Choices List, International Reading Association, Winner
2003 - Parent’s Guide Choice Award, Winner
2003 - Independent Publisher Book Award, Winner
2003 - ABC Choices Award, Association of Booksellers for Children, Winner
2003 - Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, Winner
2003 - Children’s Book Award, International Reading Association, Winner
2002 - NAPPA - Children’s Resources Gold Award, Winner

This Child, Every Child

2012 - Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Winner
2012 - Outstanding International Book, USBBY, Winner