Is There Really A Human Race?

Is There Really a Human Race?

Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell

Harper Collins 2006

Is There Really A Human Race? is told from the point of view of a young boy in the form of questions. I really love that the book is told is questions, because that's what kids do, they ask! A race, to children, is running to get to the finish line. So if a child hears the term “human race”, they are going to have some questions. This picture book uses rhymes and colorful pictures to portray this young, curious mind of what his imagination thinks the human race is.

My favorite part of the book is towards the end, and what I would want to highlight in a classroom:

“Sometimes it’s better not to go fast. There are beautiful sights to see when you’re last. Shouldn't it be that you just try your best? And that’s more important than beating the rest? Shouldn’t it be looking back at the end that you judge your own race by the help that you lend?”

This book points out the importance of slowing down and enjoying what is around you, no matter what that may be. It points out the importance of being a friend, caring for others, and how that is ultimately so much more important than winning and losing.

Books with morals and messages like this are so important for children to be exposed to, as they can teach them what it means to be a good friend and put less of an emphasis on unhealthy competition. It also gets their curious minds thinking – it’s only natural for kids to have questions and it is our job as teachers to lead them in the direction to find their own answers!