Matt Lamothe Books
Matt Lamothe is an American author and illustrator known for his work in children’s literature and design. He is a founding member of the design collective ALSO and has illustrated several acclaimed picture books that explore global culture and everyday life.
Known for: This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World
Books by Matt Lamothe
This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World
What can a child’s breakfast, walk to school, or bedtime routine teach us about the world? In This Is How We Do It, Matt Lamothe answers that question with warmth, precision, and wonder. The book follows seven real children from Italy, Japan, Iran, India, Peru, Uganda, and Russia through an ordinary day, showing how daily life is shaped by geography, family, culture, work, school, and community. Rather than reducing countries to facts or stereotypes, Lamothe invites readers to notice the meaningful details of lived experience: where children sleep, what they eat, how they learn, and what they do for fun. This book matters because it helps young readers build global awareness through something immediately relatable: childhood itself. Its comparisons reveal differences without turning them into divisions, and similarities without flattening cultural uniqueness. Lamothe’s authority comes not from abstract research alone but from careful observation, interviews, and a strong illustrator’s eye for the textures of real life. The result is an educational picture book that encourages empathy, curiosity, and respect while making the wider world feel both fascinating and deeply human.
Read SummaryKey Insights from Matt Lamothe
Meet Seven Children, Meet One World
A powerful way to understand the world is to stop talking about countries as abstractions and start seeing them through the eyes of children. Matt Lamothe begins by introducing seven kids, each rooted in a distinct place and way of life: Italy’s countryside, Japan’s urban density, Iran’s neighborhoo...
From This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World
Morning Routines Reveal Hidden Cultural Patterns
The most ordinary moments often reveal the deepest truths. In this book, the children’s morning routines show how culture is woven into daily habits so naturally that we may not even notice it. Waking up, washing, dressing, greeting family members, and preparing for the day all seem routine, yet eac...
From This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World
Breakfast Shows Culture on the Table
Food is one of the fastest ways to understand a culture because every meal carries history, geography, family tradition, and local resources. In This Is How We Do It, breakfast is more than a menu comparison. It becomes a lesson in how people live, what ingredients are common, how meals are shared, ...
From This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World
The Journey to School Matters Too
Education does not begin at the classroom door. The path a child takes to school can reveal as much about a society as the school itself. In Lamothe’s book, the journey to school highlights geography, transportation, safety, infrastructure, distance, and social organization. Whether a child walks, r...
From This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World
School Life Reflects Values and Opportunity
A classroom is never just a classroom. It reflects what a society values, what resources it has, how it organizes learning, and what it hopes children will become. In This Is How We Do It, school life offers one of the richest comparisons because it is both universal and highly varied. Children ever...
From This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World
Lunch, Work, and Midday Responsibilities
Childhood is shared across the globe, but it is not experienced in exactly the same balance of play, study, and responsibility. The book’s midday scenes reveal an important truth: what children do after school lessons or during lunch hours can vary widely depending on family needs, cultural expectat...
From This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World
About Matt Lamothe
Matt Lamothe is an American author and illustrator known for his work in children’s literature and design. He is a founding member of the design collective ALSO and has illustrated several acclaimed picture books that explore global culture and everyday life.
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Matt Lamothe is an American author and illustrator known for his work in children’s literature and design. He is a founding member of the design collective ALSO and has illustrated several acclaimed picture books that explore global culture and everyday life.
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