Travel the World Through Books with your Kids!

Want to spark your child’s curiosity about the world? Summer is the perfect time for families to travel the world through books! Find out why it is important to read diverse books with your children and how to do it!

School vacations, when you are freed from the constraints of busy schedules, is a great time to explore the world together through literature. Diverse children’s books can help provide a window into other ways of life, explaining differences but also allowing children to understand that we have much more in common than we realize.

Reading books about other cultures can:

encourage children who don’t often see themselves represented in books
foster empathy with those who may at first seem different
reduce bullying by teaching respect for others
spark curiosity about other ways of life
raise awareness about challenges others may face

Travel the World Through Books This Summer

Now that you are excited to travel the world through books with your kids, you may be wondering how to get started! Here are some questions to consider when you are looking for quality multicultural books for children:

Does the book include people of color or characters from other cultures/nationalities? (Even better, are these main characters, not just supporting ones?)
Does the book rely on stereotypes or help break them down?
Does the author come from the culture they are writing about, or have deep personal knowledge of it?

The great news is that your local library is a treasure trove of diverse literature that you and your family can dive into this summer. Your children’s librarian can help get you started, plus we have compiled diverse summer reading recommendations from bloggers around the world! This annual book list is sorted by age group, so you can be sure to find books perfect for you and your kiddos. Follow along this summer, plus be sure to visit the summer reading lists we have been creating since 2015!

Books are a wonderful jumping off point for exploring other cultures. Once your child’s curiosity is piqued, you can explore further. You might, for example, sample foods or make crafts from that culture, or trying to connect locally with neighbors who are from that area.

Want to raise a curious child who is respectful of others? Head to your local library and travel the world through books! Through reading about other cultures, you can nurture a sense of wonder about the world as well as foster empathy for those that may at first seem different.

What country would you like to explore through books with your kids this summer? Let us know in the comments!

Leanna is a homeschooler with three sweet, funny, rambunctious children. She and her husband, who is from Costa Rica, are raising their children to be bilingual and bicultural but more importantly to be “world citizens.” Leanna is the founder of Multicultural Kid Blogs and also maintains her personal blog, All Done Monkey