Dewey Decimal Journey Around the World

Mandy and Pandy Visit China
Cora Cooks Pancit
Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth

This week’s Readathon theme of Global Culture excites me because, in my opinion, teaching children to understand and respect the many different people and customs that fill the world is one of the most important ways that we can equip our children for their future. Our children live in a global culture connected by fast travel and the world wide web. Even our local smaller cities are becoming quickly multicultural as more and more people relocate for education and work.

I know that you won’t be surprised to hear that I also believe that the public library can be a great place to prepare our children for the many different types of people they will meet and see. For one reason, books and other resources can be taken home and privately looked at and read. Unlike a public place where it would be rude for a child to stare or ask loud questions about someone who looks or acts differently, a child can pour over the pictures in a book and ask as many questions as he/she wants. Also, the library is a multifaceted resource with books on many different topics that will show children the world in hundreds of different specific areas of life. Not only do public libraries contain books, but they also contain music, film, and on-line resources.

This week’s MeMeTales’ free eBooks inspired me to take my children on a journey around the world in the children’s section of our library. I decided to challenge myself to find resources about world culture in as many different areas of the Dewey Decimal System as I could find. I was amazed by the results, and the wonderful books that we found.

We didn’t read all of the books I’m listing below, because I wanted to allow my preschooler to look at the pictures, think, and ask questions. (Plus, he gets a little impatient listening to books with “no story”.) I’m linking them to Amazon, so that you can read reviews and descriptions of any books here that you are interested in. Your library probably has many of these books or other similar books.

It can be a little tricky to find global culture books in the fiction section because they are hiding in all the other books. Try looking at the top shelf where the librarians display books. Librarians cherry pick some wonderful multicultural books for that top shelf. Also, look for foreign words and ethnic names in the titles.

The Legend of the Lady Slipper by Lise Lunge-Larsen and Margi Preus

Pino and the Signora’s Pasta by Janet Pedersen

Clever Katya: A Fairy Tale from Old Russia by Mary Hoffman

A New Year’s Reunion by Yu Li-Qiong

The children’s biography section of your library is a treasure trove of wonderful non-fiction picture books.

The Dalai Lama: A Biography of the Tibetan Spiritual and Political Leader by Demi

The Young Hans Christian Andersen by Karen Hesse

Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle by Claire A. Nivola

Eliza’s Cherry Trees: Japan’s Gift to America by Andrea Zimmerman

My Librarian Is a Camel: How Books Are Brought to Children Around the World by Margaret Ruurs

In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World by Virginia Hamilton (Caldott Honor)

People Around the World by Antony Mason

Book of Cities by Piero Ventura

Arms and Armor by DK Publishing

Costume by L. Rowland-Warne

Children Just Like Me: Celebrations! by Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley

Pasta, Fried Rice, and Matzoh Balls: Immigrant Cooking in America by Loretta Frances Ichord

Happy Birthday Everywhere by Arlene Erlbach

This section of the library is a lot of fun. We especially enjoy reading familiar fairy tales in different ethnic settings. (You can see several of our finds from other library trips in my list of Red Riding Hood Books.)

La Cucaracha Martina: A Carribean Folktale by Daniel Moreton

Little Daughter of the Snow by Shena Guild

Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China by Ai-Ling Louie

Exotic Pets: From Alligators to Zebras by John Zeaman

Cooking the Thai Way by Supeen Harrison and Judy Monroe

We found: What’s Inside? Fascinating Structures Around the World by Giles Laroch, a wonderful book that shows architecture from around the world and then allows your child to see the inside. I would also love to read Laroch’s book If You Lived Here: Houses of the World which looks equally interesting.

Where in the World: Around the Globe in 13 Works of Art by Bob Raczka

The fastest way to find Global Culture books is by heading straight to the 900s. 

First Atlas (I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book as an “atlas”, but if you are looking for a brightly colored picture book to introduce your child to different elements of world culture this book would be worth checking out.)

National Geographic World Atlas for Young Explorers
 

Wonders of the World by Philip Steele

A Child’s Day in a Nordic Village by Jaakko Alatalo

Mexico: Enchantment of the World by Deborah Kent

Cultures of the World: Papua New Guinea by Ingrid Gascoigne

T is for Taj Mahal: An Indian Alphabet by Varsha Bajaj

After our project, I was amazed how many books the library has on the topic of Global Culture. In fact, I think a fun follow-up activity would be to look for books on a specific country or area of the world in the different areas of the library.