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.
- Books on the Origin of Valentine’s Day
Let’s talk about the origin of Valentine’s Day. One of my favorite ways to make geography and history relevant is to explore the origin stories of our holidays. - 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? - When did Earth Day Begin? 2 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. - 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 - 2024: New Year, New Curriculum
Isn’t the New Year always such a thrill? It feels brand new to write January 1, concentrating on writing the next numbers 2-0-2-4 correctly. Let me share what has worked for us: New Year, New Curriculum. Combatting the January Blues Does anyone else find January a bit dull after all the fall holidays? I noticed… Read more: 2024: New Year, New Curriculum - 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
- Stories from the New England Native American TribesWe dove into these stories from New England native american tribes of the Wampanoag and Narragansett peoples along with our study of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. According to Legends of America, the New England Algonquian tribes “include Mohegan, Pequot, Narragansett, Wampanoag, Massachusett, Nipmuc, Pennacook, Abenaki, Maliseet, and Passamaquoddy.” I will post books from the Algonquian… Read more: Stories from the New England Native American Tribes
- Cherry Blossom Books, from Japan to the US
This is one of my favorite times of the year! I grew up near Washington, D.C. where the Cherry Blossom Festival is celebrated for a whole month. This year, as the cherry blossoms began to open up on the cherry trees in our yard, we read these cherry blossom books. One of our favorite aspects… Read more: Cherry Blossom Books, from Japan to the US - 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