Books that Teach About Other Cultures

Travel the world with your children with these wonderful children’s books that teach about other cultures! They range from board books for very young readers to picture books and books for older elementary schoolers.

Disclosure: I received complimentary copies of some of the books below for review purposes; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no cost to you.

Children’s Books that Teach About Other Cultures

Travel the world with these books that teach about other cultures!

The Our World series of board books from Barefoot Books helps introduces very young readers to the sights and sounds of a typical day in another country, from morning to bedtime. Each book is written and illustrated by creators from that country. Each book includes typical foods, modes of transportation, useful phrases, and daily routines. Most importantly, it helps children see the commonalities with their own culture, as they can relate to playing games with friends and enjoying special time with family. So far the series includes Mexico, Italy, Brazil, Morocco, and India.

Buy Our World: India on Amazon or Bookshop

Buy Our World: Egypt on Amazon or Bookshop

Buy Our World: Italy on Amazon or Bookshop

Buy Our World: Brazil on Amazon or Bookshop

Buy Our World: Mexico on Amazon or Bookshop

Indigrow Kids playbook

Indigrow Kids is dedicated to helping raise kids that are culturally aware, kind, and curious. They make learning about other cultures easy and fun for kids with resources like books, games, and more. A to Z of Chinese Culture Playbook, for example, is not only a great book to read together, it also has lots of ideas for activities and games to help your kids explore and discover Chinese culture.

Buy A to Z of Chinese Culture on Indigrow Kids

Buy A to Z of India on Indigrow Kids

Find out fun facts about Vietnam in this beautiful new children’s book from Tuttle Publishing, All About Vietnam. It is part of their wonderful All About series, which teaches children about different cultures through stories, crafts, games, songs, and recipes. Try your hand at making moon cakes or play the Dragon-Snake game! As with all of the books in this series, All About Vietnam is a beautiful, engaging non-fiction book that will get kids excited about exploring another culture.

Buy All About Vietnam on Amazon or Bookshop

Encourage multilingualism from an early age with this book series designed to expose children to basic terms in five different languages (English, Spanish, French, German, and Serbian). These early concept books teach children basic vocabulary in multiple languages at once, making them a wonderful teaching tool whether you are teaching your child another language or just looking to give them that awareness and exposure. Early exposure to other languages not only helps stimulate language development, it increases their awareness of cultural diversity from a very young age.

Buy Bentley Hippo’s First Multilingual Words on Amazon

Nomads is a fascinating look at nomadic peoples around the world, from the Roma to the Maasai. It covers many aspects of culture, such as clothing, homes, art, and religious beliefs. Importantly, it doesn’t treat nomads as relics from the past; rather, it shows how the cultures are adapting to present circumstances, such as the Mongolian nomads use of motorbikes in herding. But it also demonstrates how factors like climate change are making their way of life more difficult, while discrimination makes integration into larger society just as fraught.

Buy Nomads on Amazon or Bookshop

This book for older elementary children focuses on Travelers, a nomadic ethnic group found mostly in the UK. In the story, a young boy worries when his class is asked to share an item from home. He is afraid the others will laugh at him for bringing in a horseshoe, but after taking a trip to a horse fair with his uncle, he comes to appreciate Traveler culture and traditions more and is excited to share. A great introduction to a culture less known in the US, based on the author’s first hand experiences.

Buy The Horse, the Stars, and the Road on Amazon or Bookshop

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