Travel around the world through the pages of fiction and nonfiction books set in countries across the globe. Below, you’ll find extensive booklists, supplemental reading, downloadable materials, and title-specific activities to aid your journey through the countries and regions brought to colorful life in this collection of world literature and powerful immigrant stories.
Happy Reading Around THE World!
Exploring Culture
These books offer glimpses into different countries and cultures whose exploration will encourage discussions and reflection on readers’ own identities, communities, and cultural practices.
Baba's Peach Tree
(China)
Marie Tang and Seo Kim
A migrant worker and his daughter find good fortune in the form of a peach tree growing behind their house in rural China in this unique and poignant story about love, perseverance, and family.
Love, Lah Lah
(Trinidad and Tobago)
Nailah Blackman and Jade Orlando
Join Lah Lah and her papa as they dance through the streets of Trinidad and Tobago, cheer on the king and queen of the Carnival parade, and end with a grand performance onstage!
My First Day
(Vietnam)
Phùng Nguyên Quang and Huỳnh Kim Liên
A visually stunning story of resilience and determination featuring a young Vietnamese boy who knows his journey will be worth it when he reaches his destination—one familiar to children all over the world.
My Olive Tree
(Palestine)
Hazar Elbayya
In this simple, touching picture book about the healing power of a loving community, a girl’s grandpa and her neighbors help her grow an olive tree in a war-torn land.
The Night Market
(Nigeria)
Seina Wedlick and Briana Mukodiri Uchendu
Journey with a young girl as she explores the mesmerizing wonders of a Nigerian night market, where each stall is an adventure waiting to be discovered!
Noodles on a Bicycle
(Japan)
Kyo Maclear and Gracey Zhang
A vibrant historical picture book about Tokyo's bicycle food deliverers, or demae, who balanced towering trays of steaming hot noodles on their shoulders while navigating crowded city streets.
The Spice Box
(India)
Meera Sriram and Sandhya Prabhat
A father and son share family stories through a spice box handed down from one generation to the next as they prepare to welcome family from India.
This Land
(The United States of America)
Ashley Fairbanks and Bridget George
This land is your land now, but who did it belong to before? This engaging primer about native lands invites students to trace history and explore their communities.
Digging for Words (Colombia)
Angela Burke Kunkel and Paola Escobar
Based on the true story of the “Lord of the Books,” Señor Gutiérrez, this book is a celebration of perseverance, community, and the power of books. This is also available in Spanish.
Resources
Free downloadable resources to support your Read Around the World journey and enrich your discussion, reflections, and understanding.
Read Around the World Digital Brochure
Read Around the World Passport
Read Around the World Poster
Downloadable Activities
Further Reading
Be Careful, Xiao Xin!
(China)
The Big Bath House
(Japan)
Rescatando palabras
(Colombia)
Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah
(Ghana)
My Grandfather's Song
(Vietnam)
Mango Memories
(India)
Tamales For Christmas
(Mexico)
Tamales para Navidad
(Mexico)
Waiting for the Biblioburro
Esperando el Biblioburro
(Colombia)
The Bees of Notre-Dame
(France)
The Lights That Dance in the Night
(North Pole)
Watch the Webinar
Join picture book creators Seina Wedlick (The Night Market), Meera Sriram (The Spice Box), Hazar Elbayya (My Olive Tree), and Gracey Zhang (Noodles on a Bicycle) for a journey around the world through the pages of fiction and nonfiction books.
Attendees will get glimpses into other cultures as the panelists engage in meaningful conversations about identity, community, and traditions.
Immigrant and Refugee Stories
The collection not only offers examples of cultural exchange but also a more complete context for why these exchanges take place—what might cause someone to leave their country and take on the challenging task of moving to a new and foreign place? These books showcase human resilience and will provide readers with powerful training in empathy.
All the Way to America
Dan Yaccarino
Dan Yaccarino shares his own family’s story of coming to America. It begins with a great-grandfather who came through Ellis Island with big dreams, a small shovel, and his parents’ good advice. This is a perfect launchpad for readers to dig into their own family history.
Areli Is a Dreamer
Areli Morales and Luisa Uribe
Areli’s parents moved from Mexico to New York, but when she’s in kindergarten, they send for her, too. Everything in New York is different, and schoolmates accuse her of being illegal. But with time, America becomes her home. This is a powerful example of the sacrifices immigrants make in hopes of a brighter future. This book is also available in Spanish.
How to Say Goodbye in Cuban
Daniel Miyares
When rebel leader Fidel Castro overthrows the existing Cuban president, the entire country is thrust into revolution. Suddenly, Papi disappears. Carlos’s mother tells him that Papi has gone to America, and that they will soon join him. But will Carlos ever see his father again? This powerful memoir about a boy coming of age amid massive political upheaval is a timeless story about the quest for freedom.
Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School
Traci Huahn and Michelle Jing Chan
Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School illustrates some of the challenges immigrants and children of immigrants have faced. Based on a true story, this is one young changemaker’s brave steps on the long journey to end school segregation in California.
My Sister the Apple Tree
Jordan Scott, Jamal Saeed and Zahra Marwan
When a young boy asks his parents why he doesn’t have a brother or sister, his mother replies that on the day he was born, they planted an apple tree in their front yard. “The apple tree is your sister,” she says. When war forces his family to flee, he brings the apple tree with him, and she becomes a beautiful reminder that he will always be connected to his homeland. This is a moving and hopeful refugee story that reminds readers that nothing is left behind forever.
The Name Jar
Yangsook Choi
Having just moved from Korea, Unhei is anxious about fitting in. So instead of introducing herself on the first day of school, she decides to choose an American name from a glass jar. But with the help of a new friend, Unhei learns that the best name is her own. This is a classic story about finding the courage to be yourself.
Nana Akua Goes to School
Tricia Elam Walker and April Harrison
It is Grandparents Day at Zura’s elementary school, but Zura is hesitant to bring her grandmother. Nana Akua was raised in Ghana and, following an old West African tradition, has tribal markings on her face. But Nana Akua knows what to do. With a quilt of traditional African symbols and a bit of face paint, Nana Akua explains what makes her special and helps all Zura’s classmates feel special, too.
The Notebook Keeper
Stephen Briseño and Magdalena Mora
Noemi and Mama flee their home in Mexico and head for the US border. There, they look for the “Notebook Keeper”—the person in charge of a ledger for those waiting to cross, and they add their names to the book. As the days turn into weeks and hope dwindles, the little girl looks for kindness around her—and inside herself. Based on true events, this story is a beautiful example of spreading hope and kindness, even during dark times. This book is also available in Spanish.
Paper Son
Julie Leung and Chris Sasaki
Before he became an artist named Tyrus Wong, he was a boy named Wong Geng Yeo. He traveled from China to America with only a suitcase, a few papers, and a dream to start a new life. Eventually, he gets the opportunity of a lifetime—and using sparse brushstrokes and soft watercolors, Tyrus creates the iconic backgrounds of Bambi. Julie Leung and Chris Sasaki perfectly capture the beautiful life and work of a painter who changed the world of animation forever.
What Is a Refugee?
Elise Gravel
Who are refugees? Why are they called that word? Why do they need to leave their country? Why are they sometimes not welcome in their new country? In this relevant picture book for the youngest children (and older students who might need a complex topic broken down), author-illustrator Elise Gravel explores what it means to be a refugee in bold, graphic illustrations and spare text. This is the perfect book to frame a unit on immigrants and refugees, and a gentle introduction on an important and timely topic.
Resources
Immigrant and Refugee Stories Unit Study
Further Reading
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