We Are Many

A quirky story with a kid’s-eye view of the curious ways people behave in groups.

In a field outside the city, a group of children are playing a simple game. They run after a kicked ball, then throw themselves on top of the ball in a laughing heap. Then the adults arrive. Lots of adults. They want to join the “people pile.” But as more and more people join the pile, some of them become uncomfortable. Others have questions. Lots of questions. Like, how big is their pile? Are they a mountain? And when a disruption causes the one pile to become two piles, is that better? All the while, the children are confused. What are all these adults doing? Can’t they just get back to their game?

Award-winning journalist Dave Cameron has created an unconventional, one-of-a-kind story to introduce young readers to some big ideas about societies, group mentality and group dynamics. It’s an excellent choice to encourage critical thinking about how people interact with each other in groups and could jump-start any number of wide-ranging discussions about societal structures, equality and fairness. The story’s open-ended yet positive resolution reassures readers that societies are always growing, changing and reinventing themselves, and that, ultimately, no one is better than anyone else and all are welcome and can be accommodated. Suharu Ogawa’s playful art is full of humorous and fun details that children will enjoy poring over, discovering something new with each read.