A world of smiles

by Jonathan Bean

The ability to smile when all you have is a few worn clothes, a patch of infertile soil and a minimum of food is a wonder of the world. I hope this collection of world portraits, collected in half a lifetime of travel in about 90 countries, captures some of that wonder. They prove maybe that the relationships that form - even between strangers - are more important than all the material wealth and comfort for which so many in the ‘developed world strive so obsessively. A smile begets a smile, they say. I hope this collection will raise a few smiles - and a little reflection on whats really meaningful in this still wonderfully diverse world.

100 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 2010

About the author

Jonathan Bean is an award-winning artist who has illustrated many books for kids, including the critically acclaimed Bad Bye, Good Bye by Deborah Underwood. He is a two-time winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for his books At Night and Building Our House.