Bringing the World to Your Classroom: Travel Through Picture Books!
For teachers, there are very specific times of year we can travel, namely during summer, fall, winter, and spring breaks (if we’re lucky enough to have that time off). During the rest of the year, we’re focused on bringing knowledge to our youngest friends and encouraging them to be good citizens as they grow up.
One of my favorite ways to expose my students to other cultures and countries and the world around us is through picture books. So today I’ve compiled a list of 14 of my favorite picture books featuring characters from around the world. Most have a message deeper than travel, but all open our classrooms up to discussions about the globe and who else lives on it with us.
So, without further ado, here are 14 of my favorite picture books with characters from around the world!
Books About Multiple Countries
Children of the World by Nicola Edwards: This is a trip around the world in a book. It includes phrases in different languages, types of homes people live in, foods eaten around the world (both national and international cuisine), celebrations, games, manners, and superstitions from dozens of countries. It ends with this beautiful statement: “No matter what our differences are, children of the world stand together!”
This is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from Around the World by Matt Lamothe: A book about seven kids from seven countries and their families. It’s a compilation of true stories and experiences collected by the author. Similar to Children of the World, it shows different ways kids experience home, family, school, play, and chores. It ends with a single image of the night sky to illustrate that we are all together under the same sky, regardless of what country we are in.
She Persisted Around the World by Chelsea Clinton: This is a story about 13 women in 13 countries who accomplished difficult things. It briefly explains that it is harder to be a girl in some countries than it is in others because of laws and social norms. It highlights achievements and discriminations, like that Marie Curie was the first person to win the Nobel Prize twice, and that Joanna Rowling wrote under the name “JK Rowling” because her publisher thought boys wouldn’t want to read a book by a femal author. And Yuan Yuan Tan over came gender expectations to become one of the most famous Chinese ballerinas of all time after winning a coin toss!
North America
The USA
Islandborn by Junot Diaz: This book takes place in the United States, but is about a family who immigrated from “The Island,” presumably the Dominican Republic. It’s about a young girl tring to remember her home country. She gathers stories from older friends and family members who tell her what it was like on the Island - the good memories AND the hard ones.
Mexico
The Magic Maguey by Tony Johnston: This is a cute fiction story about community action and friendship. It includes Mexican foods, Christmas traditions, and Spanish phrases.
Colombia
Biblioburro: A True Story from Colombia by Jeanette Winter: This true story is about a man in Colombia who rides a donkey to take books to villages that don’t have access to libraries.
Europe & the Middle East
Ireland
Bella & Harry: Let’s Visit Dublin by Lisa Manzione: This book is like a travel guide for little kids. It talks about specific sights and important locations in Dublin and gives some of their historical significance. It addresses geography, weather, earth science, Irish phrases, and myths and legends. It explores cities beyond Dublin and is offers a really cute narration for kids by two dogs named Bella and Harry.
Saudi Arabia
Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers: A Story Inspired by Loujain AlHathloul by Lina AlHathloul and Uma Mishra-Newbery: A story about an activist for women’s rights who was arrested for driving a car with her father. This book can spark discussions about how some countries have different laws for boys and girls and whether we’ve been told there are things we can’t do. If you want to open that up.
Iraq
The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter: Back in 2003, a librarian in the city of Basra protected the books in her library by hiding them during the war in Iraq. The town was bombed and the library burned, and this story tells about how she hid books in restaurants and houses to save them from the destruction.
Asia & Africa
Afghanistan
The Library Bus by Bahram Rahman: A beautifully illustrated story about access (or lack there of) to books and education for girls in Afghanistan. It talks of education as freedom for the girls in villages and refugee camps. It exposes students to the reality that some people don’t get to go to school, or have to wait for a mobile school to come to them. One thing that I address with my class is that in this book, the girls are taking English language classes, even though it says they speak Farsi. I talk about what other languages we can study and learn in the US.
Pakistan
Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed: This story takes place in a refugee camp in Pakistan. It’s a story about firnedship, sacrifice, war, and family. It addresses the lack of available education for girls in refugee camps as well as new of resettlement in another country.
India
Manjhi Moves a Mountain by Nancy Churnin: There is a mountain dividing two villages - one side lives in abundance, one side has nothing and relies on strenuous travel to the other side. Manjhi wonders, “why should some people have so much, and others so little?” So he decides to move the mountain. While no one understood his dream at first, he kept at it in a story of perseverance and vision.
Ghana
Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson: Emmanuel was born with only one working leg, and people in his town said it was because he was cursed. As a child, he went to school, hopping the two miles to get there on one leg. He learned to ride a bike, play soccer, and eventually got a job in a faraway city to help his family. In the story, he wants people to know that “being disabled does not mean being unable,” so he rides 400 miles across Ghana on a bike in 10 days, supporting and encouraging people he meets with disabilities along the way.
Tanzania
The Banana-Leaf Ball: How Play Can Change the World by Katie Smith Milway and Shane W. Evans: This book is set in Lukole refugee camp in Tanzania and is about a boy from Burundi. It includes Kirundi phrases (the language of Burundi). The theme of play and sports as a way of gathering people, resolving conflict, and encouraging teamwork is prevalent throughout. The book includes pictures of the man who inspired the story as well as games to play in your own classroom.
I hope this list has inspired you to bring books with a global perspective into your classroom. Are there any that you would add to this list? I’m always looking to add more books to my library, so comment below with which ones you recommend!
