This book list is a mix of fiction, nonfiction and fact-filled books, picture books and even a wordless book that will nurture your child's interest in geography. cultural studies and social studies!
Sure, your kid could spin a globe or stare at a map on the wall in an effort to memorize country names and borders. OR they could read stories about the people who live in all those faraway lands. Boost your child's geographic and cultural intelligence with books that tell stories about cultural experiences and travel, as well as atlases chock full of facts.
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It's so much easier to learn facts when they come wrapped in an appealing package, right?
Fiction
Human brains love stories and for many children, its easier to remember details when they are attached to an engaging narrative. Use these picture books as a way to make geographical and cultural facts interesting.
How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz
This award winning book is based on Shulevitz's own experience as a refugee from Warsaw. In the story a family escapes war, fleeing to Turkestan where they live in "houses made of clay, straw and camel dung..." One day father brings home a map instead of food for his hungry family. At first the young boy resents the map, but the father helps his son use the map to travel around the world in his imagination. Shulevitz gives more information about his personal experiences as a refugee in an endnote.
MORE: To extend the fun, try these super simple map activities for kids.
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman
This is a delightful book about a girl who wants to bake an apple pie to share with friends. The market is closed so there's nothing for it but to head out on a trip around the world to gather the ingredients! Italy for grain, Sri Lanka for cinnamon, Vermont for apples, and a few other stops along the way. Obviously you will need to bake your own pie after reading this story. Lucky for you, a recipe is included.
How the Queen Found the Perfect Cup of Tea by Kate Hosford, illustrations by Gabi Swiatkowska
Find it: Amazon
In this lively story about a queen who travels to several countries in a hot air balloon and encounters different tea time rituals. When she makes it back home, she invites her new friends from Japan, India, and Turkey to enjoy a pleasant tea party. Great fun.
MORE: Delightful Books about Tea Time
Mirror by Jeannie Baker
Find it: Amazon
I love this wordless picture book which compares and contrasts a day in the life two families, Australian and Moroccan. In parallel stories, the two boys and their families take care of daily tasks like shopping, eating, getting ready for bed, and connecting with friends online. A great conversation starter.
Madlenka by Peter SÃs
Madlenka discovers she has a loose tooth and wants to spread the word to her neighbors. She takes a journey around her city block, and it turns out to be a trip through many different cultures. She sees a French baker, an Indian merchant, a German opera singer, a Latina florist and more. SÃs has designed detailed drawings around a die cut square that Madlenka looks through, making the book an interactive experience.
MORE: 50 picture books to take you around the world
Nonfiction Cultural Studies Books
Teaching about culture, especially how different children around the world spend their days is an excellent way to teach geography and an appreciation for diversity. Look especially for books with great photographs, or books that focus in on a specific subject like time, school or food.
One Day One World by Barbara Kerley
Find it: Amazon
Absolutely stunning photographs take you on a trip around the world as children in diverse locales get ready in the morning, go to school, play, do chores and end their days. Your kids will love seeing children around the world doing the same things they do every day, only in a vastly different way.
Another great topic to look for is how different cultures celebrate holidays. Check out this list of books about winter holidays around the world to get started.
This Is How We Do It by Matt Lamothe
The book follows seven children from different countries: Italy, Japan, Uganda, Russia, India, Peru and Iran. Each child describes their home, school, family, food and daily life. This is a great starting point for conversations about the differences and similarities between life in different countries, but also how children in the same country don't all live the same way. At the end, photographs reveal the actual families depicted in in the book. I love the large size of the book, and how the illustrations invite a lengthly perusal.
Nomads: Life on the Move by Kinchoi Lam
Lam's detailed book is an absolutely fascinating look at seven nomad populations. Kids will learn about the daily and seasonal lives of itinerate peoples from all corners of the globe.
Everything & Everywhere: A Fact-Filled Adventure for Curious Globe-Trotters by Marc Martin
The pages of this oversized book are densely packed with watercolor details of animals, objects, towns and people all over the world. Facts and figures fill the gaps and kids will love scouring the pages to learn about everything under the sun and deep in the sea.
Around the World Right Now by Gina Cascone and Bryony Williams Sheppard, illustrated by Olivia Beckman
If your kids are fascinated by the idea that millions of people are experiencing a different time of day right at this very moment, crack open this book. Readers journey page by page through all twenty-four time zones with illustrations suggesting what people may be up to in those zones. An endnote provides more information for curious minds.
Every Month Is a New Year: Celebrations Around the World by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Susan L. Roth
This splendid poetry collection introduces readers to global new year holidays. Most western children know about January 1, the Lunar New Year and Rosh Hashanah, but there are 9 more! Singer shares a poem for each month to celebrate a different new year tradition.
Another absolutely wonderful geography poetry book is J. Patrick Lewis's A World of Wonders: Geographic Travels in Verse and Rhyme.
MORE: Books for Fact-Obsessed Kids
Nonfiction Geography & Atlases
Last, but definitely not least in a child's geography education is a collection of interesting atlases or geographic encyclopedias! Make sure the maps are unique, detailed and invite children to think about the people, animals and plants that live and grow in the region they are looking at!
MORE: Fun Geography Activities for Kids
One World: A First Book of Geography by Sue Lowell Gallion, illustrated by Lisk Feng
I love this large board book partly because it has such cool illustrations and partly because of its physical features. The book appears to be a slice of a globe but when you open it fully back-to-front a hidden magnetic closure turns it into a full globe! It makes a great first geography book because it introduces landscapes and geological features like rivers and mountains rather than focusing on borders and place names.
Maps by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinska
I absolutely adore the aesthetics of this book! Oversized illustrated maps give facts, geographical wonders, cultural tidbits and more. The experience of taking one's time to examine every detail feels relaxing and luxurious (seriously!).
MORE: Picture Books Set in Paris
Smithsonian Geography: A Visual Encyclopedia, published by DK
Find it: Amazon
If you like gorgeous photography, your family will enjoy this visual feast. The text gives detailed information about the Earth's geology, climate, ecosystems, animal populations and human life and culture.
Where on Earth? Atlas: The World As You've Never Seen It Before, published by DK
Find it: Amazon
This atlas is fun because the illustrations are designed to look 3D. However, the atlas is also jam-packed with science, climate, history, architecture, technology, the people, world events and more. The book starts by explaining the geology of Earth as a whole and moves on to the continents.
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