Diverse World Studies Booklists
We enjoy celebrating holidays around the world and especially through diverse stories. Below, you’ll find booklists from the oft-overlooked Earth Day to a Thanksgiving booklist focused on the pre-colonial Indigenous American celebration.
- Great Books on Palestine and Israel for Kids
Well, our trip around the world in picture books is wrapping up with the countries of the Middle East! Here are the books on Palestine and Israel that we read. - What is Rosh Hashanah? Diverse Books to read
I grew up in a school district with many Jewish teachers and students, but that didn’t mean I had a clear idea of the significance. So, what is Rosh Hashanah? - Books on Fairies and How to Build Fairy Houses
What do we do with all the nature that our kids bring home? (It’s not just my kids, right?) The best stick! A favorite rock! The prettiest leaf! Okay, I’m guilty of it, too. Cue…the building of Fairy Houses. - Diverse Versions: Little House on the Prairie
I’m not saying “don’t read Little House on the Prairie.” But also check out these two books, rooted in history, and sharing Asian and Jewish perspectives. - Book Party Ideas: Our Year In Review with Book Club
We had so much fun celebrating books with our book club last year! With each discussion, we had a “book party.” If you’re new to the idea, read on! - Middle Ages Books for Kids
This year we are studying the Middle Ages! This is the time period between the fall of Rome (c. 450) to c.1500. I am so excited for my lineup of Middle Ages books to read aloud to all four kids, as well as some fun books just for the younger ones. - Kids Books about the Olympics: Summer Olympics in Paris 2024
There are so many inspirational picture book biographies featuring the events of the Summer Olympics! Here are the ones that I managed to nab from the library. We are going to read these picture books about the Olympics in the week leading up to the opening ceremonies. This post may contain Amazon Affiliate Links. I may… Read more: Kids Books about the Olympics: Summer Olympics in Paris 2024 - The Best Costa Rica Books for Kids
Here are all the Costa Rica books we read in anticipation of our trip! Whether you’re in actual travel mode or not, you can’t go wrong with armchair travel! - Learn about Egypt in the Modern Day
We took a week to learn about Egypt in the modern day: food, a book party about Ra the Mighty, the capital, the religion, the language, & historical events. - The New Kingdom of Egypt: Activities and Books
For our study of the New Kingdom, we explored hieroglyphs, made a clay pot, and had a book party! - Great Reads: Ancient Egypt Historical Fiction Books
We are finished with our study! Here are the Ancient Egypt historical fiction chapter books that I offered to my 6th grade twins. - The Middle Kingdom of Egypt: Make Papyrus and Draw
We continued crafting while learning about the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. The most interesting thing we learned was related to the Bible. - The Old Kingdom of Egypt: Fun Activities and Books
We had an incredible amount of fun learning about the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Check out the activities we did, videos we viewed, and the books we read! - Great Elementary Books for your Study of Ancient Egypt
We read bits and pieces from these as we worked through our study on Ancient Egypt. These were appropriate for my kids ages 7 through 11. - Origins of Earth Day: Two Important Events
The origins of various holidays is always of special interest to me. I found these two picture books on the origins of Earth Day, both published in 2023! Surprisingly, they do not tell the same story. - The Best Books about Dragons: from Silly to Scientific
It’s the Year of the Dragon for this Lunar New Year cycle! Here’s a compilation of books about dragons, from scientific to just plain silly. - Celebrate Purim with Baking, Books, and Beyond
In 2024, Jewish people begin to celebrate Purim at sunset on March 23. These are the ways in which we, as a Christian family, learned about Purim this year! - Books For Spring: Celebrate Diverse Holidays Around the World
Learn about cultural and religious festivals and holidays around the world this spring, from Ireland to India, Guatemala to Japan. Here’s our lineup of reads for the month of March - Lunar New Year Books Around the World: My Recommendations
Lunar New Year Booklist I never knew the Lunar New Year traditions until recently. But… you’re Chinese/Taiwanese! It’s true. But I learned the traditions by reading to my kids, starting just a few years ago with our study of China. Keep reading for my favorite Lunar New Year books! Here’s why I’ve remained in the… Read more: Lunar New Year Books Around the World: My Recommendations - Top 6 Books About Thanksgiving in AmericaThis year, we’ve been focused on American History, including the study of indigenous American tribes. Here are the top 6 books about Thanksgiving in America, gleaned from various booklists on my blog. AND we’ve been continuing our country studies (currently central Africa), so finding the last book about harvest days around the world has been… Read more: Top 6 Books About Thanksgiving in America
- Booklist of Stories about Trees Around the WorldOur current nature study ~TREES~ is inspired by the many sticks and leaves my children pick up every time we walk a nature trail. We’ll be reading these books about trees around the world in addition to the larger stack about the science of trees and the fascinating ways they communicate. Overview Around the World… Read more: Booklist of Stories about Trees Around the World
- Read Around the World for Earth Day 2023
Earth Day has become a global celebration of community efforts to clean up our environment and live in a cleaner way. The beginnings of this environmental movement is usually attributed to American Rachel Carson. One of my favorite things to do is to make science connections in our geography and world studies lessons. There are… Read more: Read Around the World for Earth Day 2023 - Cherry Blossoms, from Japan to Washington, D.C.
One of our favorite aspects of geography is celebrating beautiful traditions of other countries, and how those traditions sometimes become part of ours. Japan’s national flower is the sakura, or cherry blossom. Every springtime, people enjoy the Hanami (flower-viewing) Festival across the country of Japan. I grew up near Washington, D.C. where the Cherry Blossom… Read more: Cherry Blossoms, from Japan to Washington, D.C. - Books to Learn about Irish American Culture and Immigration
All the Irish people I know are super proud of their Irish heritage. So it was surprising when my friend recently found out that she has Irish heritage! Her grandmother had hidden that fact from the family. We had lots of interesting thoughts and comments about discrimination, race and assimilation. Naturally, I then wanted to… Read more: Books to Learn about Irish American Culture and Immigration - Christopher Columbus Books: An Honest Look at the Real Story
What do you remember about Columbus from your own social studies classes? Take an honest look at the real story with these Christopher Columbus books. - Mid-Autumn Festival: Learning How to Make Mooncakes
The Backstory The Mid-Autumn festival is celebrated in most Asian countries at the Autumn Equinox. Many cultures have various celebrations that coincide, such as the Jewish celebration of the “Festival of Booths,” also known as Sukkot. The full moon that occurs at the Autumn Equinox is known as the “Harvest Moon.” In most Asian countries,… Read more: Mid-Autumn Festival: Learning How to Make Mooncakes