Ever Ready: Read Your World Book Review Origin

Together, we can change the world one book at a time.

Read Your World is a non-profit whose mission is to raise awareness of children’s books that celebrate diversity and to get more of these books into readers' hands. Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen founded this non-profit children’s literacy initiative 13 years ago. They are two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine a spotlight on the multicultural books and authors on the market, while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.

With the alarming increase in children’s books being challenged and banned, giving kids access to diverse stories is more important than ever.
We do this by donating books to reviewers and classroom libraries.
We provide book lists and classroom kits to help parents, guardians, teachers, librarians, and readers find the diverse children’s books that they need.
Our weekly Ig Live Interview series also highlights children's books, spotlighting multicultural books and authors on the market and working to get these books into readers' hands.

ALL ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nat Cardozo is an illustrator and workshop facilitator specializing in editorial illustration. She is a graduate of the School of Design and Illustration in Barcelona, Spain. Her work has been featured in exhibitions in Uruguay, Mexico, Spain, and Argentina. Cardozo has won several major awards for children’s book illustrations. Born in France to Uruguayan refugees, Cardozo now lives and works as a freelance illustrator along the coast from Montevideo, Uruguay.

Maria José Ferrada from Chile advised the author/illustrator, Nat Cardozo, on the book's tone and style.

Book Review-Origin

What an ambitious effort compiling information that pays tribute to Indigenous people who have bravely preserved to this day and whose ancestral wisdom has much to teach us. From a historical perspective, readers are informed about Indigenous peoples who have struggled to maintain their traditional ways of life while still harmonizing with nature. All of these featured Indigenous groups have something in common: despite their many obstacles, they have managed to maintain their traditional ways of life and their relationships with nature. Indigenous people, more than 470 million, are also some of the most socially marginalized populations of the world. They are also people for whom community living is based on the principles of sharing, solidarity, and mutual aid, of avoiding excess, and being thankful for what they can get. "Origin" is a book that should be accessible to all readers in school classrooms or libraries. With the author's meticulous research, the book becomes a valuable resource for ongoing discussion of Indigenous peoples and their connection to the natural world.

Nat Cardozo, author/illustrator, has chosen twenty-two Indigenous groups spanning five continents to be represented in this book, which is only a small part of the more than 5,000 who currently live around the world. "Origin" is a nonfiction oversized picture book for middle school readers, but all readers can appreciate and learn from it, too. The content is based on direct testimonies, documentaries, and the work of anthropologists. Each two-page spread is about an indigenous group, with text on one side and a stunning illustration on the other. The text is narrated from a child's perspective, introducing readers to the group they represent and providing information on their population, territory, language, and culture. The full-size, very detailed illustration on each page is just stunning. It's a painting of a child's face, featuring the geography of their homeland, and it's nothing short of mesmerizing.

Further talking points at the end of the book, including an overview of environmental degradation and the resistance movements indigenous groups currently face, were interesting points to consider.

Sue Ready is a freelance writer, food blogger, former elementary and middle school teacher, and book reviewer of all genres on Facebook at EverReady Book Reviews.