abba12 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I am trying to come up with a library of little books, many around a 1st/2nd grade reading level, which give some perspective of other countries and cultures. I would rather books/series that have a little about lots of countries, in a consistent format, than lots of books on a single country (We can delve deeper later, this is just 'home library stocking' with books to catch interests, give a general overview and perspective of 'there's other people out there' and give comprehension practice, and later reading practice in non-fiction at the same time) My list currently contains World Alphabets Series A Child's Day Series Children Return To Their Roots Series Children Just Like Me Eat Your Way Around The World So hopefully that gives you some idea of what I'm after Firstly, does anyone have any other books or series' that they love along the lines of this theme? They needn't necessarily be 'childs eye view', but shorter, 20-40 page books which are engaging. I have seen a number of series' available where the title of each book is just the name of a country, and they all seem to fit, but I am having trouble figuring out which ones are great and which ones are just generic non-fiction published to fill a shelf somewhere. Any specific reccomendations? (Also, any TV/DVD series' along the same line? I found Families Around The World but they're awfully pricey) Secondly, the big thing we are missing among these books is things like folktales etc from each country. I know there's a million and one books with african/native american/indian/etc folktales and stories and I could get them at the library, but if I want something for our home shelves, is there any particular series or book which covers tales from multiple countries. (Alternatively, anyone know any TV series' which do tales from multiple countries? I already know of a series which focuses on Africa and have access to plenty which focus on the Dreamtime stories here in Australia, but is there a series which covers, say, a different country each episode or something?) Maybe I am a little OCD, but I dislike having lots of random books and bits of series', so if there is a 'set' I can get, I'd much rather that than buying a few books for each country. If we want to delve deeper we have a library where we can check out a dozen books on a specific country, but for our home shelves I'd rather avoid buying a bunch of random books unless they are high enough quality and content to stand alone, like the unicef children's one and cooking one. I try to avoid having our kids bookshelves filled with lots of random mediocre books which could just as easily be pulled from the library. Since we are on the topic anyway, if you have any favorite, 1st-3rd grade reading level, non fiction series' in subjects other than Geography/Social Studies, feel free to throw them in. I already have magic school bus and an assortment of scholastic readers among some other things. Thank you for your help and suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 Updating to say I have also found the following Children Just Like Me: Celebrations Children Just Like Me: Our Favorite Stories A Life Like Mine A School Like Mine Children from Australia to Zimbabwe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Barefoot Books has some good anthologies: http://store.barefootbooks.com/catalogsearch/advanced/result/?by_subject=162 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I have some books like this in my Literature-Based Geography book list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooakharborhicks Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 We love the Little Travelers show (Amazon Prime, but maybe on YouTube too). Two little girls from America live in a bunch of countries around the world and learn about their cultures, my boys absolutely adore them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KT7673 Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 We have enjoyed Around the World in 80 Tales. http://www.amazon.com/Around-World-Tales-Saviour-Pirotta/dp/075345999X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerforest Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Check your library for the Families of the World DVDs. Ours carries them and they were my daughter's favorite things for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 I have some books like this in my Literature-Based Geography book list. Tracy Mirko this is amazing!! Printed and I think I might laminate too! Other suggestions if anyone wants them: * ARGENTINA: There's another pampas book by the same author that's wonderful. The one you have is the sequel. * CAMEROON: The Fortune Tellers by Lloyd Alexander and Trina Schart Hyman is a beauty. * ANTARCTICA: http://www.amazon.com/Animals-Robert-Scott-Saw-Antarctica/dp/B003F76DXI <-- there are 4 books in this excellent series --> Again, THANK YOU. The Hive is such an extraordinary resource. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Tracy Mirko this is amazing!! Printed and I think I might laminate too! Other suggestions if anyone wants them: * ARGENTINA: There's another pampas book by the same author that's wonderful. The one you have is the sequel. * CAMEROON: The Fortune Tellers by Lloyd Alexander and Trina Schart Hyman is a beauty. * ANTARCTICA: http://www.amazon.com/Animals-Robert-Scott-Saw-Antarctica/dp/B003F76DXI <-- there are 4 books in this excellent series --> Again, THANK YOU. The Hive is such an extraordinary resource. Wow, I never imagined I might get laminated some day. :coolgleamA: I will add your suggestions to my list. Thank you. :thumbup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chava_Raizel Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 You can check out my list here: Around the World booklist For folk tales, I really like Usborne Stories Around the World. There are folk tales from every continent, so it's pretty balanced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwg Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Subbing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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