Kids are eager to find out what makes us all the same as well as what makes us different. Quartz magazine recently recommended picture books from every continent, saying, “We…believe the future is more multicultural than the past, and that a world with lower borders is one worth working toward. To that end, there’s a danger in telling children stories with just one worldview.” We at SkipKid couldn’t agree more. One way to help your kids discover the diverse and wonderful world is through picture books. Here are five of our favorites:
One of our favorite Rosemary Wells books, Yoko shows how opening yourself up to the foods of a new culture–Yoko’s sushi lunch–can enrich your life.
Bee-Bim Bop!, from Newbery Award winning author Linda Sue Park, is the story of a little girl helping her mother make the traditional Korean dish, from shopping to preparing to eating bee-bim bop.
“In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines….” So begins the wonderful Madeline about a brave little girl who gets her appendix out told through some of the best rhymes and illustrations in children’s literature.
Strega Nona by award-winning author Tomie dePaola is a classic children’s book about an Italian grandmother with a magic pasta pot.
Abuela, by Arthur Dorros, celebrates the special relationship a little girl has with her grandmother. Written in English with Spanish phrases seamlessly woven in, children will delight in the adventure set in New York City.
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