I remember as a child I would be chastised to turn off the light and go to bed, but I would sneak in a flashlight, just to be able to finish the chapter of a thrilling adventure book. Books have the ability to transport us anywhere in the world. Multicultural books help us imagine what it would be like to experience life from a different perspective. Here are 6 reasons to teach our children using multicultural books. Continue reading
Booking Across the USA is a collaborative blogging project created by Jodie from Growing Book By Book. Each of the participating bloggers are showcasing a book and activity related to their state: all 50 states are represented!!! Children’s literature is a fun way to bring history, culture, and geography alive and to learn about the US through “armchair travel.” The book I’ve chosen to represent Texas is Tomie dePaola’s “The Legend of the Bluebonnet.” Continue reading
Do your kids love to learn about penguins as much as mine do!? There are 17 different kinds of penguins, and although they look different, there are some similarities. All live in the southern hemisphere, normally on the coasts of: Antarctica, South Africa, parts of South America, parts of Australia and New Zealand, and many different islands including the Galapagos (where I swam with some!)! All penguins have blackish backs and white bellies, and are flightless birds who are excellent swimmers. They feed underwater on krill and other creatures, and their predators are orcas, sharks, sea lions, and fur and leopard seals. Groups of penguins are called rookeries. Today penguins are threatened because of reduced food supply (due to over-fishing and global warming), pollution (such as oil spills), and reduced habitat (due to melting ice from global warming). Learn more about penguins with these phenomenal resources:
Download a free, high-quality poster of the Emperor Penguin’s life cycle from the US government’s Antarctic Program. Continue reading
Photo credit: Agência Brasil 2006, Creative Commons Use.
Wangari Maathai (1 April 1940 – 25 September 2011) grew up in the green highlands of Kenyan. When she returned from studying college in the US she discovered that her lush homeland was being destroyed by deforestation which caused water and food shortages, malnutrition, and disappearing wildlife. She began to educate others to care for the land and re-plant the forests and they called her Mama Miti, “Mother of Trees.” Ms Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, which empowered woman around Kenya to help take back their land, planting tree by tree.
For her compassion and efforts she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She was the first African woman and environmentalist to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Here are resources you can use to teach your children about this inspirational, remarkable woman, and her plight to save her country’s landscape. She shows us that one person truly can save the world! Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Celebrations, Kenya, Literature, People
Tagged biography, Earth Day, environment, famous person, non-fiction children's books
Because Australia and New Zealand are islands, far and isolated from other land masses, many of their animals aren’t found anywhere else on Earth. They have evolved and adapted well to the ecosystems found here: the large desert, forests, grasslands, and mountains. Here are some wonderful picture books and video clips that highlight the very unique animals of Australia and New Zealand. There are silly stories with animals as their main character, and others are based on true adventures had by animals in this part of the world. All are delightful and colorful, and will compliment and add a global dimension to lessons in science and social studies. The incredible clips offer a live view of animals in their natural habitat. Continue reading
I love using high-quality children’s literature to show them how children around the world live with their families, go to school, and enjoy playing with their friends. Educators and parents can use literature to increase cultural awareness because young children are able to digest new concepts when the information is presented in story form (see journal articles below).
Here are a few books about life in Ethiopia, from children’s perspectives. When I purchased these books, I was looking to enhance my son’s knowledge of his birth country and encourage a positive self-concept of his cultural heritage, without portraying negative stereotypes. We enjoyed the photographs and information presented so much that we decided to purchase extra copies to give to our children’s school, to enrich their library. Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Ethiopia, Literature, People
Tagged education, multicultural, non-fiction children's books
On the fourth Thursday in November, the United States celebrates Thanksgiving by sharing a traditional feast with our family and friends. If you are in the United States, you have probably grown up with a story about the Pilgrims and Indians sharing a similar meal of thanksgiving, after a plentiful harvest. While some of the story is drawn from facts, some has been embellished, romanticized, or completely made up. In 2001, a new book was published that explored what actually happened in 17th century Massachusetts that fall. This unique Thanksgiving book for kids sheds light on what happened during this historical time.
Be prepared to throw out your stereotypes of pilgrims dressed in black and white, and American Indians with feathered headdresses and beaded vests. 1621 A New Look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O’Neill Grace, Sisse Brimberg, and Plimoth Plantation debunks some of the common myths associated with this historically significant holiday and teaches the readers about the Wapanoag people and the group of English settlers that had survived a year in their new, harsh land in 1621. Published by the National Geographic Society, the stunning photographs depict life in this 17th century settlement, and the feast that later inspired a national holiday. Continue reading
I have 3 great children’s books that will give you a well-rounded introduction and background of Ireland. 
This is Ireland, by Miroslav Sasek was written in 1964 like a travel guidebook for kids. With fantastic (now vintage) illustrations, it describes the important places across the entire country including details and history about Dublin, the monastery of Clonmacnoise, and several stone castles.
Image credit: photo taken from "This is Ireland" by M. Sasek, copyright 1964.
The book takes us from the Giant’s Causeway in the north, to the many lakes in County Mayo to the west, and all along the diverse coasts and harbors including the Cliffs of Moher and Connemara. Sasek includes interesting facts woven into the book about St. Patrick, the cathedral that bears his name in Dublin, the Book of Kells, famous people, and national symbols such as the leprechaun, shamrock, and the shillelagh. I wish I would have known about this book before we took our daughter to Ireland! Continue reading
Posted in Europe, Ireland, Literature
Tagged education, multicultural, non-fiction children's books, sheep
In this abridged version of his autobiography, children will be introduced to a global hero: South African Nelson Mandela
Reading biographies written for kids, and learning about important leaders from around the world and challenges they have overcome gives children examples of character traits, perspective on current events, and expands their ideas about other countries. The activities in this article are geared towards the older elementary grades.
You may know that Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid activist who was imprisoned 27 years, elevated to President of South Africa in 1991 and subsequently won the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Literature, People, South Africa
Tagged biography, education, famous person, multicultural, non-fiction children's books
The perfect introductory story
Ask your children to find Mexico on the map. How far is Mexico from your hometown? What do you know about Mexico? The Day of the Dead, known as “Día de los Muertos” is one of Mexico’s most important celebrations. During the first week of November people remember their loved ones who have died by visiting them in the cemeteries, creating small displays in honor of them, and making certain traditional food. In this small but colorful story, a family in a small town in Mexico prepares for Día de los Muertos, and finally spends the night in the cemetery remembering their grandparents. It is a wonderfully simple story, that touches on all of the important elements of Day of the Dead: the marigolds, mole, pan de muertos, sugar skulls, the candles. The illustrations contain a lot of details, but are quite small. I would not use this book for a class unless I had access to an Elmo (document camera/projector). However, for reading on the couch with my 4 kids, the size was perfect. This is a fantastic book to introduce your children to the Day of the Dead!
The next book is Continue reading
An excellent resource for children ages 7+ to learn about the fascinating process of Egyptian mummification.
If you love children’s book, and you have not yet read anything by Aliki, you need to be introduced! Let me present Aliki Liacouras Brandenberg, who mostly publishes under her first name, Aliki. She has written and illustrated many books, both fiction and nonfiction that explain in detail a wide variety of interesting topics such as book-making, fossils, our five senses, and more. My kids and I snuggled on the couch with “Mummies Made in Egypt” and read the stunning account of how and why Egyptians made mummies, and where they buried them. Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Egypt, Literature
Tagged education, mummies, non-fiction children's books, social studies
