Wanderlust is “a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world.” It’s daydreaming about the Cai Be floating market of Vietnam while you’re packing your kids’ lunches, and imagining the hike up the Inca trail while you’re walking them to school. For now, I’ll have to settle for armchair travel choices in my summer reading- but when I’m immersed in a book I am transported to Papuan (New Guinea) jungle where I can feel the sticky humidity (oh wait, that’s just the Houston summer getting to me!).
I was asked by a reader to give some summer reading recommendations for globally-minded parents and teachers. While I have several favorites, I thought it would be great to ask my friends at Multicultural Kid Blogs, a very diverse group of parents from around the globe. The suggestions that came up are fabulous!!!! We have book recommendations from Nigeria to Papua New Guinea, France to the Netherlands, Argentina to Afghanistan- the settings alone will tickle your travel itch and the cultural references and background information opens your eyes to a myriad of perspectives. Cultural memoirs and novels, toolkits for raising multilingual kids, parenting and education guides from around the world for multicultural families, expat families, TCKs, nomad families, and more. Here are all of our recommendations- add your favorites in the comments!
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Cultural Memoirs and Novels Set Around the World
Americanah
And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini
One reader claimed it was “the best Peace Corps memoir I have read,” Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the Heart of an African Village
Global Mom: Eight Countries, Sixteen Addresses, Five Languages, One Family
Another memoir of a world traveling family- this time of educators- is Here We Are & There We Go – Teaching and Traveling with Kids in Tow
Olga Mecking recommends Stuff Dutch People Like
Another fascinating read is Child of the Jungle: The True Story of a Girl Caught Between Two Worlds
Stephanie Meade, of InCulture Parent recommends The Caliph’s House: A Year in Casablanca
A Dream So Big: Our Unlikely Journey to End the Tears of Hunger
Especially interesting after the World Cup fever, Jennifer Brunk of Spanish Playground recommends Soccer in Sun and Shadow
Jennie Goutet’s memoir A Lady in France
Books on Raising Multilingual Kids
In our Multicultural Kid Bloggers (MKB) group, many of us are raising our children with more than one language. Here are three books written by our members that aim to help families encourage multilingualism, with tips and ideas on how to raise your children in a supportive language-rich environment:
Bilingual Is Better: Two Latina Moms on How the Bilingual Parenting Revolution is Changing the Face of America
Be Bilingual – Practical Ideas for Multilingual Families
Bringing up a Bilingual Child
Parenting Books: Multicultural, Differing Perspectives, Identity
Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity
Olga also recommends Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering
Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting, by Pamela Druckerman, an American living in France with her British husband, was also mentioned by Olga. The stories on French child-rearing are fascinating, and show us a completely different perspective to raising well-behaved children.
Another book that looks at parenting practices around the world is How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm: And Other Adventures in Parenting (from Argentina to Tanzania and everywhere in between)
Hopgood’s research is incredibly insightful, as she digs into why Mayan children participate (happily!) in household chores and how French moms and dads get their children (willingly!) eating veggies. In each case that Hopgood examines, we learn a little something about the particular cultural norms that are transmitted from parent to child, and how those norms support the larger values and beliefs of that cultural system.
Parenting Without Borders: Surprising Lessons Parents Around the World Can Teach Us
What is the balance between accomplishment and self-esteem? Author Amy Chua offers her perspective as a Chinese mom in her provocative book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Even if you don’t agree with her strict and competitive parenting style, this book is an honest look into her life, raising her 2 daughters in the US.
Globally-Minded Parenting & Education Guides and Toolkits
If you haven’t heard of The Global Education Toolkit for Elementary Learners
Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be At Home in the World by Homa S. Tavangar of Growing Up Global is a must read for parents looking for practical tools to incorporate cultural awareness at home! Lots of fantastic resources that are easy to incorporate.
Family on the Loose: The Art of Traveling with Kids
Sheila Sjolseth of Pennies of Time recommended Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol. Kozol heavily researched schools across the US to illustrate the extreme differences between wealthy districts and schools in poverty-stricken areas. Sheila says:
His book took a small-town girl- me- out of my sheltered world and showed me elements of society that we all need to know about, need to be aware of, especially as we teach our children.
Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds, Revised Edition
Have you read any of these books!? Am I missing a great find? I would love to do a part 2- please leave your recommendations in the comments and I will compile them!!!
Fantastic list! I can’t wait to start reading many of these.
What a touching surprise to find my book on this list. I am so honoured. Thank you!!
I am a little star struck:)- thank YOU!
Thank you so much! I’m adding to my TBR list!
Hi, Becky,
I’d love for you to include “Waddley Sees The World” and his first adventure to Australia!
Julie
He is coming soon in a children’s book list:).
Waddley says, “YAY!”
Great list! Please also check out Pack-n-Go Girls – a new travel adventure series for girls 6-9. In the first few books, girls from around the US travel to Austria, Mexico, and Thailand. They solve a mystery while learning about another culture. Let us know what you think!
Sounds fantastic!!!! My girls are 6 and 9- sounds like the books would be perfect for them!
One Year Off by David Elliot Cohen was a fun read about a family pausing their lives in the US to travel around the world with kids in tow.
Also Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart is the reason I fell in love with Granada, Spain. It’s filled with hilarious dialogue and interesting circumstances of an expat couple that bought a farm in Spain without any modern conveniences.
Oooh, I have never heard of it! I studied in Granada, and I would LOVE to read that book! Thanks for the rec!
Just happened upon this. What a great site and thanks so much for including my memoir!
I am so glad you liked it! 🙂
I’m discovering this list (thanks FB) and in the same time that I can find adult books on your website !
I read Amy Chua’s book, and even if I’m far away from her ideas, she has so much love for her daughters, she gives them so much of her time and attention, that her book is a very good one.
Oups I sent my comment too fast. After a quick look, even if you have a tag, you don’t have much book for adult. I’d love to read a new list, similar to that one. Old books are harder to get from non English speaking countries…