If hopping on a plane is not in your immediate future, reading fantastic books has to be the next best way to learn about other countries and cultures. We’ve got page after page of engaging and interesting stories of living abroad, experiencing another land through the eyes of those who have lived it or who have a great love for the culture they’re writing about.
Country and culture studies are perfect to pair with a little geography. Having a map nearby can help visualize where you are in the world. What are the surrounding countries? Is there a body of water nearby? How would that affect their economy? What are the prominent religious beliefs of the area? How might that affect how people dress, behave, and view the rest of the world? How does the weather affect the lives of those who live there? Or just crack open a book and read; I doubt you’ll hear any complaints.
From our collection, we’ve compiled a list of books that represent different countries — their history, famous people, landmarks, daily lives, folklore, and geography. This is not an exhaustive list, but it’s a jumping-off point to exploring different countries through excellent literature. Taking a trip around the world through books is a great summer reading program (if you’re looking for one of those). Couple your reading with native dishes, printable coloring sheets, or crafts to round out the experience.
Afghanistan: The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
Africa (continent and culture): A Story, a Story by Gail E. Haley; Shaka: King of the Zulus by Diane Stanley; African Beginnings by James Haskins; Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe; Who’s in Rabbit’s House? by Verna Aardema; Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears by Verna Aardema
Argentina: On the Pampas by Maria Cristina Brusca
Bosnia: Bosnian Family by Robin Silverman
Cambodia: The Clay Marble by Minfing Ho
Canada: Very Last First Time by Jan Andrews and Ian Wallace; Star in the Storm by Joan Hiatt Harlow
Chad: Rain School by James Rumford
China: Lon Po Po by Ed Young; The Empty Pot by Demi; The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack; Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel; Marco Polo by Charles Parlin Graves; Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Czech Republic: The Wall: Growing up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis
Egypt: Croco’nile by Roy Gerrard; The Day of Ahmed’s Secret by Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland; Pyramid by David Macaulay; Tut’s Mummy: Lost and Found by Judy Donnelly; The First Book of Ancient Egypt by Charles Alexander Robinson; A Cry from Egypt by Hope Auer; Pharaoh: Life and Afterlife of a God by David Kennett; Seeker of Knowledge: The Man Who Discovered Ancient Hieroglyphs by James Rumford; Cleopatra by Diane Stanley; Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile by Kristiana Gregory; The Orchard Book Egyptian Gods and Pharaohs by Robert Swindells
England: The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli; A Walk in London by Salvatore Rubbino; Richard the Lionhearted by Joanne Jessop; The Making of a Knight by Patrick O’Brien; The King’s Shadow by Elizabeth Alder; A Medieval Feast by Aliki; Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
Eritrea: An Eritrean Family by Lois Anne Berg
France: The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson; Star of Fear, Star of Hope by Jo Hoestlandt; Charlotte in Giverny by Joan MacPhail Knight; Stone Soup by Marcia Brown; Anatole Over Paris by Eve Titus; Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans; The Little Juggler by Barbara Cooney; Picasso and Minou by PI Maltbie
Germany: Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot by Margo Theis Raven; Truce by Jim Murphy
Greece: Parthenon by Lynn Curlee; D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire; An Alphabet of Ancient Greece by Mary Chubb; The Trojan Horse by Emily Little; Athens – The Monuments Now and Then by Niki Drosou-Penagiotou
Hungary: The Good Master by Kate Seredy
Iceland: Leif the Lucky by Ingri d’Aulaire
India: Taj Mahal by Caroline Arnold and Madeleine Comora; Cloud Tea Monkeys by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham
Ireland: Shawneen and the Gander by Richard Bennett; Flying Feet by Anna Marlis Burgard; Fin M’Coul: The Giant of Knockmany Hill by Tomie de Paola; The Leprechaun’s Gold by Pamela Duncan Edwards; Great Irish Legends for Children by Yvonne Carroll
Italy: Antonio’s Apprenticeship by Taylor Morrison; Orani: My Father’s Village by Claire A. Nivola; Angelo by David Macaulay; Pompeii…Buried Alive by Edith Kunhardt; Saint Francis and the Wolf by Richard Egielskit
Japan: The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks by Katherine Paterson; The Boy of the Three-Year Nap by Dianne Snyder; The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck; Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya; The Funny Little Woman by Arlene Mosel; Crow Boy by Taro Yashima.
Kenya: Mogo’s Flute by Hilda van Stockum; Bringing Rain to the Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema
Kurdistan: A Kurdish Family by Karen O’Connor
Malawi: Galimoto by Karen Lynn Williams
Mali: Yatandou by Gloria Whelan
Mexico: Hill of Fire by Thomas P. Lewis; The Treasure of Topo-El-Bampo by Scott O’Dell
Mongolia: Genghis Khan and the Mongol Horde by Harold Lamb
Netherlands: The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong; The Greatest Skating Race by Louise Borden; A Day on Skates by Hilda Van Stockum
New Zealand: Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas by Lynne Cox
Peru: The Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark
Poland: The Cats in Krasinski Square by Karen Hesse
Russia: Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan
Scotland: Cold Feet by Cynthia DeFelice
Soviet Union: A Russian Jewish Family by Jane Mersky Leder
Spain: The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf; Isabel, Jewel of Castilla, Spain 1466 by
Sudan: A Sudanese Family by Erika Archibald
Sweden: The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren; The Sinking of the Vasa by Russell Freedman
Switzerland: Heidi by Johanna Spyri; William Tell by Margaret Early
Tanzania: We All Went on Safari by Laurie Krebs
Vietnam: The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland