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Give Your Child the World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time
Young children live with awe and wonder as their daily companions. But as they grow, worries often crowd out wonder. Knowing this, how can parents strengthen their kids’ love for the world so it sticks around for the long haul?
Thankfully, parents have at their fingertips a miracle vaccine—one that can boost their kids' immunity to the world’s distractions. Well-chosen stories connect us with others, even those on the other side of the globe. Build your kids’ lives on a story-solid foundation and you’ll give them armor to shield themselves from the world’s cynicism. You’ll give them confidence to persevere in the face of life’s conflicts. You’ll give them a reservoir of compassion that spills over into a lifetime of love in action.
Give Your Child the World features inspiring stories, practical suggestions, and carefully curated reading lists of the best children’s literature for each area of the globe. Reading lists are organized by region, country, and age range (ages 4-12). Each listing includes a brief description of the book, its themes, and any content of which parents should be aware.
Parents can introduce their children to the world from the comfort of home by simply opening a book together. Give Your Child the World is poised to become a bestselling family reading treasury that promotes literacy, develops a global perspective, and strengthens family bonds while increasing faith and compassion.
Thankfully, parents have at their fingertips a miracle vaccine—one that can boost their kids' immunity to the world’s distractions. Well-chosen stories connect us with others, even those on the other side of the globe. Build your kids’ lives on a story-solid foundation and you’ll give them armor to shield themselves from the world’s cynicism. You’ll give them confidence to persevere in the face of life’s conflicts. You’ll give them a reservoir of compassion that spills over into a lifetime of love in action.
Give Your Child the World features inspiring stories, practical suggestions, and carefully curated reading lists of the best children’s literature for each area of the globe. Reading lists are organized by region, country, and age range (ages 4-12). Each listing includes a brief description of the book, its themes, and any content of which parents should be aware.
Parents can introduce their children to the world from the comfort of home by simply opening a book together. Give Your Child the World is poised to become a bestselling family reading treasury that promotes literacy, develops a global perspective, and strengthens family bonds while increasing faith and compassion.
224 pages, Paperback
First published June 7, 2016
642 people are currently reading
4156 people want to read
About the author
Jamie C. Martin
8 books133 followersJamie C. Martin is an introverted mom of three, who loves books, tea, and people (not always in that order), and avoids answering the phone when possible.
She created the site Steady Mom in 2009, and began SimpleHomeschool.net in 2010, where she’s been writing about intentional education for nearly a decade. Jamie is also the author of Introverted Mom, Give Your Child the World, Mindset for Moms, and Steady Days.
Her work has been featured by LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow, the Washington Post, Apartment Therapy, (in)courage, Parents, ProBlogger, Ann Voskamp, The Art of Simple with Tsh Oxenreider, and The Read Aloud Revival with Sarah Mackenzie.
She created the site Steady Mom in 2009, and began SimpleHomeschool.net in 2010, where she’s been writing about intentional education for nearly a decade. Jamie is also the author of Introverted Mom, Give Your Child the World, Mindset for Moms, and Steady Days.
Her work has been featured by LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow, the Washington Post, Apartment Therapy, (in)courage, Parents, ProBlogger, Ann Voskamp, The Art of Simple with Tsh Oxenreider, and The Read Aloud Revival with Sarah Mackenzie.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 321 reviews
June 24, 2021
Update (24 June 2021)
I realized today that my review is currently first in the list by default sort, and in light of those unexpected eyes, I am posting an update to my original review.
Martin's heart is pretty clearly in the right place with this book. I feel it's important to keep in mind that she prioritized publishing a global lit booklist for American Christian families YEARS before stories and points of view beyond the Western world became permissable -- let alone fashionable -- amongst a majority of American Christian homeschoolers. 2016, this was released... a time when many [white] American Christian conservatives, convinced the Dems wanted to erase all memory of millennia of Western culture and establish an autocratic state, voted a narcissistic con man into the White House.
Martin tried to bridge a heartbreaking gap between Christian America and the rest of the world, when nobody wanted to hear about it.
Is her selection what I would select, now, when I have more experience myself? No. Definitely not. I wish there were fewer "overcoming adversity" books and that the categories weren't continental and and and.
/shrug Twas ever thus with booklists.
My real issues with this book, though, rest mostly with the publisher and editor. They could have provided a key indicator (asterisk after the title?) to draw attention to titles Martin personally recommends from experience. They could have included Christianity in the faith notes -- or even Secular/Nonreligious (since it is a Christian company and they presumably want to present Christian worldview as default acceptable content). They didn't do these things. I don't know whether that's due to intention or incompetence, but those choices aren't going to get thumbs up from me. I stand by my disappointments with the book, and I don't recommend it when asked -- even though it still sits on my bookshelf.
Jamie Martin, though? She is a person I laud for ever having tried, and especially for trying in 2016.
So kudos, Jamie Martin, for breaking a trail. It's on the rest of us to follow, and then go further.
Original Review (11 June 2016) below
* * * * * *
I have mixed feelings about this. I bought it for the booklists, and they make up the greater portion of the content. Many of the titles are new to me. So that's great!
However, there are some problems.
The first 48 pages read like a series of blog posts. The ideas contained there aren't new, and I was surprised to see so much derivative content without much reference to her original sources for ideas.
More bothersome to me is that Martin hasn't actually read all the books on her list. More derivative content - and we can't tell which of the books are personally recommended by her, and which she's chosen based on reviews from... where? She makes a passing reference to "Publisher's Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist and similar sources"
I plan to use the booklists here in tandem with activities suggested in Growing Up Global (a much better book, but very much lacking in the area of specific title suggestions). It should meet my needs for that.
Still, I can't deny feeling a little disappointed.
I realized today that my review is currently first in the list by default sort, and in light of those unexpected eyes, I am posting an update to my original review.
Martin's heart is pretty clearly in the right place with this book. I feel it's important to keep in mind that she prioritized publishing a global lit booklist for American Christian families YEARS before stories and points of view beyond the Western world became permissable -- let alone fashionable -- amongst a majority of American Christian homeschoolers. 2016, this was released... a time when many [white] American Christian conservatives, convinced the Dems wanted to erase all memory of millennia of Western culture and establish an autocratic state, voted a narcissistic con man into the White House.
Martin tried to bridge a heartbreaking gap between Christian America and the rest of the world, when nobody wanted to hear about it.
Is her selection what I would select, now, when I have more experience myself? No. Definitely not. I wish there were fewer "overcoming adversity" books and that the categories weren't continental and and and.
/shrug Twas ever thus with booklists.
My real issues with this book, though, rest mostly with the publisher and editor. They could have provided a key indicator (asterisk after the title?) to draw attention to titles Martin personally recommends from experience. They could have included Christianity in the faith notes -- or even Secular/Nonreligious (since it is a Christian company and they presumably want to present Christian worldview as default acceptable content). They didn't do these things. I don't know whether that's due to intention or incompetence, but those choices aren't going to get thumbs up from me. I stand by my disappointments with the book, and I don't recommend it when asked -- even though it still sits on my bookshelf.
Jamie Martin, though? She is a person I laud for ever having tried, and especially for trying in 2016.
So kudos, Jamie Martin, for breaking a trail. It's on the rest of us to follow, and then go further.
Original Review (11 June 2016) below
* * * * * *
I have mixed feelings about this. I bought it for the booklists, and they make up the greater portion of the content. Many of the titles are new to me. So that's great!
However, there are some problems.
The first 48 pages read like a series of blog posts. The ideas contained there aren't new, and I was surprised to see so much derivative content without much reference to her original sources for ideas.
More bothersome to me is that Martin hasn't actually read all the books on her list. More derivative content - and we can't tell which of the books are personally recommended by her, and which she's chosen based on reviews from... where? She makes a passing reference to "Publisher's Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist and similar sources"
I plan to use the booklists here in tandem with activities suggested in Growing Up Global (a much better book, but very much lacking in the area of specific title suggestions). It should meet my needs for that.
Still, I can't deny feeling a little disappointed.
May 22, 2019
I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I hadn't read a few very similar books semi-recently. In the past year I read The Read Aloud Family as well as Honey for a Child's Heart and while this book specifically focuses on worldwide reading, it felt very similar in scope.
BUT this book will be a very handy reference tool for new book ideas to pull out (especially when we are studying different parts of the world).
As a note: this might seem obvious (it is now in hindsight), don't listen to this one as an audio book. About half the book is book lists. This is incredibly valuable (if you have a printed version of the book). I had assumed this book was more philosophical in nature so I thought listening to it would be perfect but this would one have been better in print. Thankfully I listened to it for "free" in Scribd so it doesn't really matter. This is one I would like to eventually get in hard copy to have as a good reference guide.
BUT this book will be a very handy reference tool for new book ideas to pull out (especially when we are studying different parts of the world).
As a note: this might seem obvious (it is now in hindsight), don't listen to this one as an audio book. About half the book is book lists. This is incredibly valuable (if you have a printed version of the book). I had assumed this book was more philosophical in nature so I thought listening to it would be perfect but this would one have been better in print. Thankfully I listened to it for "free" in Scribd so it doesn't really matter. This is one I would like to eventually get in hard copy to have as a good reference guide.
June 17, 2016
So, so good. I'm going to quote myself on my blog so I don't reinvent the wheel here:
Jamie C. Martin is the blogger behind SimpleHomeschool.net, which is my favorite homeschooling resource, so I pre-ordered her newest book Give Your Child the World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time over a month ago. I thought it'd be a nice compilation of book lists that would aid me in choosing stories for our geography studies (since I was already a firm believer that stories are the best way to teach about...well, pretty much anything).
And it is that. The list-lover in me is very happy, because the books recommendations are listed in more than one helpful way: by region, by country, by age range--and then, in the indexes in the back, also by title, author, and time period. The broad categories are:
-Multicultural books
-Africa
-Europe
-Asia
-Middle East
-North America
-Latin America
-Australia, Oceania, and the Polar Regions
But beyond being a book of lists, Give Your Child the World also reads like a love letter to reading and to the world. I haven't written in books in ages, but I had to pull out a pencil to underline some points made in the chapter titled "The Power of Story," which I'll share with you here:
"...They all went to bed imagining their own inner hero. We all have one, you know. And a powerful story (on the page or screen) quickens that hero's heartbeat within us."
And this: "Creating a family culture of books means our kids have the chance to live a thousand lives before leaving our home... They can travel the world (and beyond), all the while safe within our four walls. They can feel the pain of a character's flaws and learn from their mistakes, without having to experience the actual consequences. Far from a way to escape reality, reading actually prepares our children for real life in a unique way."
Anyone with children should have a copy of this on their shelves, but especially homeschoolers.
Jamie C. Martin is the blogger behind SimpleHomeschool.net, which is my favorite homeschooling resource, so I pre-ordered her newest book Give Your Child the World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time over a month ago. I thought it'd be a nice compilation of book lists that would aid me in choosing stories for our geography studies (since I was already a firm believer that stories are the best way to teach about...well, pretty much anything).
And it is that. The list-lover in me is very happy, because the books recommendations are listed in more than one helpful way: by region, by country, by age range--and then, in the indexes in the back, also by title, author, and time period. The broad categories are:
-Multicultural books
-Africa
-Europe
-Asia
-Middle East
-North America
-Latin America
-Australia, Oceania, and the Polar Regions
But beyond being a book of lists, Give Your Child the World also reads like a love letter to reading and to the world. I haven't written in books in ages, but I had to pull out a pencil to underline some points made in the chapter titled "The Power of Story," which I'll share with you here:
"...They all went to bed imagining their own inner hero. We all have one, you know. And a powerful story (on the page or screen) quickens that hero's heartbeat within us."
And this: "Creating a family culture of books means our kids have the chance to live a thousand lives before leaving our home... They can travel the world (and beyond), all the while safe within our four walls. They can feel the pain of a character's flaws and learn from their mistakes, without having to experience the actual consequences. Far from a way to escape reality, reading actually prepares our children for real life in a unique way."
Anyone with children should have a copy of this on their shelves, but especially homeschoolers.
February 23, 2021
The booklists are a terrific place to start. I love a lot of her ideas for starting out sharing the world with your family.
It's well done, and very useful, especially for younger families.
I'm hungry for stuff that goes deeper into cultural differences and understanding than recipes and maps, so I'll keep looking for something more, like Livermore's Cultural Intelligence series on audible or great courses, and the book Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes. I guess I was also hoping for more resources for teens and adults.
I will also add that this book is very, very western in its assumptions. The emphasis on training your kids to be leaders is, to be brutally honest, western and arrogant. We are not all called to be leaders. Christians are called to follow, to be servants, we are often called to submit. We cannot be all leaders and none of us the rank and file Jeshua loved so much. Rather than teaching and training leaders, I believe the focus should be on teaching and developing our calling, to be equipped for whatever it is God calls us to do, to seek justice, love mercy, and walk *humbly* with our God.
It's well done, and very useful, especially for younger families.
I'm hungry for stuff that goes deeper into cultural differences and understanding than recipes and maps, so I'll keep looking for something more, like Livermore's Cultural Intelligence series on audible or great courses, and the book Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes. I guess I was also hoping for more resources for teens and adults.
I will also add that this book is very, very western in its assumptions. The emphasis on training your kids to be leaders is, to be brutally honest, western and arrogant. We are not all called to be leaders. Christians are called to follow, to be servants, we are often called to submit. We cannot be all leaders and none of us the rank and file Jeshua loved so much. Rather than teaching and training leaders, I believe the focus should be on teaching and developing our calling, to be equipped for whatever it is God calls us to do, to seek justice, love mercy, and walk *humbly* with our God.
August 28, 2022
Such a good resource book and full of great ideas! This book is perfect for my family, as my husband loves to travel and we already have a few plans to incorporate our children in our global affairs. I loved the book lists for specific age groups, and I just absolutely love the idea for my children to grow up globally minded, and experience the fullness of the whole world God made, and it’s many cultures and people, and of course my personal favorite the beautiful landscapes, plants and animals in each particular region. I also appreciated her disclaimer when other religions are spoken of in some of the books on her list. We will have to be careful to eat meat, spit out the bones with some of these. Overall, I feel like this book was meant for my family. 💓💓
💡 I want my kids to grow up open minded and full of curiosity not haters of things they fear or don’t understand.
💡 I want to learn about the lives of my ancestors
💡 I want to learn the culture of the places I am going to visit
💡 I want my kids to grow up open minded and full of curiosity not haters of things they fear or don’t understand.
💡 I want to learn about the lives of my ancestors
💡 I want to learn the culture of the places I am going to visit
June 16, 2016
"One of the simplest and most rewarding ways we have found to learn about other people and countries is to read." - Jamie C. Martin
Gone are the days when the three of us would gather on our couch and read well loved stories during our homeschooling days. With one homeschool graduate and one more close to finishing, I knew that I would not be using this book with my children. But I have to tell you, I sure wish this had been available when my children were younger. What an amazing resource!
The author starts the book with some practical tips on how to raise globally minded kids. Then in the rest of the book, she shares many titles, arranged by pretty much by continent, as well as snippets from each title she shares.
If you are wanting to raise globally minded children, add this book to your home library today!
Gone are the days when the three of us would gather on our couch and read well loved stories during our homeschooling days. With one homeschool graduate and one more close to finishing, I knew that I would not be using this book with my children. But I have to tell you, I sure wish this had been available when my children were younger. What an amazing resource!
The author starts the book with some practical tips on how to raise globally minded kids. Then in the rest of the book, she shares many titles, arranged by pretty much by continent, as well as snippets from each title she shares.
If you are wanting to raise globally minded children, add this book to your home library today!
February 1, 2022
I will definitely be returning to the book lists included in this book - they have detailed, age specific reviews. I was also inspired by several of Jamie’s ideas for implementing world awareness in our own home.
June 6, 2017
I loved reading all the fascinating book descriptions! Martin has reanimated my hope for a summer of good reads for my kids. I also signed up for the summer book club through her website!
January 11, 2026
Read: January 2026
I love this book! There are a couple of short chapters that explain the author's background and family life and how they include reading globally in their daily life. The bulk of the book contains lists of really appealing sounding children's books from around the world. I haven't heard of most of the books, but now my little ones are coming up to 5 and 3 years old, I am excited to take inspiration from this list. There is a mix of fiction and non fiction, with age ranges defined and clear synopses given for each book. The author is a devout Christian and includes notes on the religious perspectives on books where it is relevant.
I feel that books like this are so important, especially in times like now when it feels like everyone is being so divided. I want to raise my children to be open minded and globally minded and I will definitely use this book to help with that goal.
I love this book! There are a couple of short chapters that explain the author's background and family life and how they include reading globally in their daily life. The bulk of the book contains lists of really appealing sounding children's books from around the world. I haven't heard of most of the books, but now my little ones are coming up to 5 and 3 years old, I am excited to take inspiration from this list. There is a mix of fiction and non fiction, with age ranges defined and clear synopses given for each book. The author is a devout Christian and includes notes on the religious perspectives on books where it is relevant.
I feel that books like this are so important, especially in times like now when it feels like everyone is being so divided. I want to raise my children to be open minded and globally minded and I will definitely use this book to help with that goal.
September 25, 2022
Such a neat book talking about how to open your child's eyes to different cultures and countries. I liked how she had the different book list for different ages and a brief synopsis about the book. I definitely added some books to our list to buy. I think this would be a great book to have to refer back to.
Read
August 14, 2018Anyone looking to pick up this book should know it is predominantly a reference volume/book list. Part One which essentially introduces the author and her family, gives some information on how to encourage a global perspective through books, and why she feels such a perspective is important (largely influenced by her Christian faith), is short -- it runs from pages 11-48 and that includes a Foreward by someone else. I enjoyed the opening to this book and used plenty of book darts to mark favorite lines, but if you are expecting a lot of research, statistics, or a deep dive into the subject matter, you're probably going to be disappointed.
I like Martin's premise and agree with her about the importance of sharing books with our kids that broaden their perspectives and introduce them to people, places, and cultures they are unfamiliar with. However, I'm not entirely sure the booklist lives up to the task. Now, I have NOT read the booklists (Part Two) word-for-word, but I have browsed through them and there are some things that give me pause. I'm not claiming to have done an extensive analysis of all the recommended titles, but I have some overall impressions.
First of all, there aren't that many books that take place in current/recent times. History and historical context are certainly important for encouraging a global perspective, but given how much Martin says she wants kids to fall in love with the world and and all the people we share it with, I really was expecting more contemporary stories. For the Europe chapter, there are a whole lot of books taking place during the World Wars and (as other reviewers have said) I don't think that paints a very complete picture of the region. The same could be said for the selections for the Middle East which largely recommends books featuring conflicts, so much so that Martin does not even recommend any titles for ages 4-6 because of that very fact.
I was also expecting more books actually from other countries, books in translation, and books written by people who are a part of these cultures from around the world. I do believe there are books recommended that fit these attributes, but I don't think they are as predominant as I was expecting -- and it's pretty difficult to distinguish which titles are which. There doesn't seem to be any notations about the authors' background or expertise in the various countries or cultures which seems important to me given what this booklist is trying to achieve.
Lastly, there are some titles that raised red-flags for me -- particularly books about Thanksgiving that seem highly problematic and a large number of titles referring to Native Americans without any mention of specific tribes or nations, as if they are just one big group. I am not as educated in this area as I should be, but some preliminary research on the highly respected site American Indians in Children's Literature seems to show that Give Your Child the World is recommending a mix of titles -- some with good representation and some with poor/inaccurate representation. As I said earlier, I am not as educated as I should be on this subject, but I think it is important, especially when recommending books specifically with the goal of broadening young minds and teaching them about people from all around the world. So I am keeping this book on my shelf, but I'm taking the recommendations with a grain of salt, trying to remember that I should ALWAYS be reading critically, and realizing that I have a lot still to learn myself!
Edited 8/14/18 to add: Recommending Tikki Tikki Tembo as a book representing China is really a disgrace. I think I have found a much better resource for global kidlit, so stay tuned!
Review also appears on my blog Buckling Bookshelves
I like Martin's premise and agree with her about the importance of sharing books with our kids that broaden their perspectives and introduce them to people, places, and cultures they are unfamiliar with. However, I'm not entirely sure the booklist lives up to the task. Now, I have NOT read the booklists (Part Two) word-for-word, but I have browsed through them and there are some things that give me pause. I'm not claiming to have done an extensive analysis of all the recommended titles, but I have some overall impressions.
First of all, there aren't that many books that take place in current/recent times. History and historical context are certainly important for encouraging a global perspective, but given how much Martin says she wants kids to fall in love with the world and and all the people we share it with, I really was expecting more contemporary stories. For the Europe chapter, there are a whole lot of books taking place during the World Wars and (as other reviewers have said) I don't think that paints a very complete picture of the region. The same could be said for the selections for the Middle East which largely recommends books featuring conflicts, so much so that Martin does not even recommend any titles for ages 4-6 because of that very fact.
I was also expecting more books actually from other countries, books in translation, and books written by people who are a part of these cultures from around the world. I do believe there are books recommended that fit these attributes, but I don't think they are as predominant as I was expecting -- and it's pretty difficult to distinguish which titles are which. There doesn't seem to be any notations about the authors' background or expertise in the various countries or cultures which seems important to me given what this booklist is trying to achieve.
Lastly, there are some titles that raised red-flags for me -- particularly books about Thanksgiving that seem highly problematic and a large number of titles referring to Native Americans without any mention of specific tribes or nations, as if they are just one big group. I am not as educated in this area as I should be, but some preliminary research on the highly respected site American Indians in Children's Literature seems to show that Give Your Child the World is recommending a mix of titles -- some with good representation and some with poor/inaccurate representation. As I said earlier, I am not as educated as I should be on this subject, but I think it is important, especially when recommending books specifically with the goal of broadening young minds and teaching them about people from all around the world. So I am keeping this book on my shelf, but I'm taking the recommendations with a grain of salt, trying to remember that I should ALWAYS be reading critically, and realizing that I have a lot still to learn myself!
Edited 8/14/18 to add: Recommending Tikki Tikki Tembo as a book representing China is really a disgrace. I think I have found a much better resource for global kidlit, so stay tuned!
Review also appears on my blog Buckling Bookshelves
July 15, 2020
This book was a MAJOR disappointment for me. First, the author has not read all of the titles on her recommended book lists (she notes that it would have taken too long to read all of the chapter books, but also mentions that she has read MOST of the picture books—I really find that inexcusable), but rather relies on critical reviews for some of her recommendations. For me that makes the book rather pointless.
Second, and the even bigger problem, is that the author's recommendations are very hit or miss—and I don't just mean that she likes some books that I don't. She recommends a number of books that, though they are considered classics, are well known for their inaccurate (and even stereotyped) portrayal of other cultures—books like The Five Chinese Brothers. And she does so without any critical reflection on those issues. These books absolutely require some historical context if they are going to be recommended as representations of another country (and I would argue that a lot of them should NOT be recommended as representations of another country—period).
The author's descriptions of the books don't generally provide much beyond a synopsis of the plot (again, something I don't have to seek out this book for). There is no discussion of who wrote or illustrated the books (Do author or illustrator come from the culture/country depicted in the book?) and how that might impact the value of the story.
The author has also chosen a lot of OLD books. I love the classics as much as the next girl—I'm a children's librarian after all—but why choose some of these (not remarkable) books over more recent titles? And why aren't publication dates provided for the titles on the booklists? I'd like to know if the book illustrated with photographs was published in 1993. And there better be a compelling reason that you chose it over one published in 2016. I'd also like to know if the book you're recommending is out of print. I know that GIVE YOUR CHILD THE WORLD was published four years ago, but I feel absolutely certain that some of these older books she's recommending (NOT classics) were already out of print when the book was published. Again, there needs to be a compelling reason that you are recommending an out of print book, and you need to let me know that it is out of print.
Save your time and money, and just use your library's catalogue to search for books about a particular country. You'll still be able to read a synopsis—plus, you'll get a publication date, critical reviews, and your librarian's opinion about whether the book is still worth reading thirty years after it was published (by which I mean that it will have to be pretty great to still be in circulation in the library).
Second, and the even bigger problem, is that the author's recommendations are very hit or miss—and I don't just mean that she likes some books that I don't. She recommends a number of books that, though they are considered classics, are well known for their inaccurate (and even stereotyped) portrayal of other cultures—books like The Five Chinese Brothers. And she does so without any critical reflection on those issues. These books absolutely require some historical context if they are going to be recommended as representations of another country (and I would argue that a lot of them should NOT be recommended as representations of another country—period).
The author's descriptions of the books don't generally provide much beyond a synopsis of the plot (again, something I don't have to seek out this book for). There is no discussion of who wrote or illustrated the books (Do author or illustrator come from the culture/country depicted in the book?) and how that might impact the value of the story.
The author has also chosen a lot of OLD books. I love the classics as much as the next girl—I'm a children's librarian after all—but why choose some of these (not remarkable) books over more recent titles? And why aren't publication dates provided for the titles on the booklists? I'd like to know if the book illustrated with photographs was published in 1993. And there better be a compelling reason that you chose it over one published in 2016. I'd also like to know if the book you're recommending is out of print. I know that GIVE YOUR CHILD THE WORLD was published four years ago, but I feel absolutely certain that some of these older books she's recommending (NOT classics) were already out of print when the book was published. Again, there needs to be a compelling reason that you are recommending an out of print book, and you need to let me know that it is out of print.
Save your time and money, and just use your library's catalogue to search for books about a particular country. You'll still be able to read a synopsis—plus, you'll get a publication date, critical reviews, and your librarian's opinion about whether the book is still worth reading thirty years after it was published (by which I mean that it will have to be pretty great to still be in circulation in the library).
November 16, 2020
This book is "fine." It's a decent starter for finding books about various parts of the world for children. However, be aware of the author's bias. She has made note of when religion is mentioned... except there is no note when Christmas is mentioned. Many of the older books included that have "stood the test of time" have been condemned by their indigenous subjects or are just woefully and possibly even dangerously outdated. Beware of a compiler who can't find books about the Middle East that aren't about war in 2016. Pick through these titles, then see what's new at your local library.
April 29, 2025
In preparation for "starting" to homeschool kindergarten this fall (although we've really started already), I'm enjoying reading lots of books on homeschool philosophy and so I was pleasantly surprised that this book isn't one of those. Rather, the first 20% of the book is a call to parent (and/or homeschool) with a global vision. The remaining 80% is booklists. I noted 138 titles available at my local library that I look forward to placing holds on this year and for years to come!
September 27, 2019
A brilliant resource making it to 5 star because of the multiple indexes contained at the end, allowing you to search by country/region, time period, alphabetical order or author! An amazing lot of work has gone into this book.
June 14, 2021
This is more of a intro with book lists. I didn’t realize this until I had reserved a bunch of books at the library and written down the rest of that first “list” chapter. I added this book to my wish list. I think it’d be a great resource to use when studying other cultures and people groups. Thorough lists of good books that will get your kids and family thinking globally.
July 16, 2020
The major thrust of this book is a big list of suggested books, organized by continent and age group, to engage your kids with stories from around the world. I added them all to my book list- great homeschool resource.
September 2, 2018
This has an ENORMOUS list of books to read to your kids about different people's and regions. I am really excited to go from location to location, and learn along with my kids about the world. The author has them organized by location as well as age group. The actual portion you need to read is very short; about 5 chapters. The rest is the book lists, with a short intro about each area, and then a brief summary of each recommended book. If you want to teach your kids about the world, I highly recommend this. I've read a few of these books to my kids already, and I'm always nervous they'll find them boring, but about 90% of the time they enjoy them. Here are some quotes from the author that I loved, for anyone interested:
"Children don’t let the darkness of the world overshadow its beauty. They don’t make judgments. They just try to love—whatever and whoever stands in front of them."
"Worries crowd out wonder. Selfishness crowds out sacrifice. Longing for more crowds out love for what is. Problems crowd out people. Knowing this, how can we strengthen our kids’ natural love for the world so it sticks around for the long haul?"
"My hours of reading had convinced me that people were people, no matter where they lived. At the core, all of us shared a common connection."
"Statistics show that kids who grow up having four or more dinners with their family each week are less likely to do drugs, consider suicide, or develop an eating disorder. They are also far more likely to absorb the culture, heartbeat, and faith of your family."
"When we make the world personal for our children, we make it easier for them to love it."
"I grew up nervous and slightly intimidated by those who believed anything other than what I did. Instead of reaching out in friendship, I sometimes avoided those who differed from me. Surely this is not what Jesus meant when he told us to “love your neighbor as yourself.” How can we love if fear or anxiety holds us back? Thankfully, books provide the perfect stage to discuss important issues, like faith, within the context of our families—to talk about not only what we believe what others believe as well. By doing so, our kids develop greater empathy and a heart for those God loves around the world."
"Children don’t let the darkness of the world overshadow its beauty. They don’t make judgments. They just try to love—whatever and whoever stands in front of them."
"Worries crowd out wonder. Selfishness crowds out sacrifice. Longing for more crowds out love for what is. Problems crowd out people. Knowing this, how can we strengthen our kids’ natural love for the world so it sticks around for the long haul?"
"My hours of reading had convinced me that people were people, no matter where they lived. At the core, all of us shared a common connection."
"Statistics show that kids who grow up having four or more dinners with their family each week are less likely to do drugs, consider suicide, or develop an eating disorder. They are also far more likely to absorb the culture, heartbeat, and faith of your family."
"When we make the world personal for our children, we make it easier for them to love it."
"I grew up nervous and slightly intimidated by those who believed anything other than what I did. Instead of reaching out in friendship, I sometimes avoided those who differed from me. Surely this is not what Jesus meant when he told us to “love your neighbor as yourself.” How can we love if fear or anxiety holds us back? Thankfully, books provide the perfect stage to discuss important issues, like faith, within the context of our families—to talk about not only what we believe what others believe as well. By doing so, our kids develop greater empathy and a heart for those God loves around the world."
June 18, 2018
This isn’t a book you read, per se, but more of a set of lists of books to read with your children. The first 48 pages (less than that really, the forward starts on page 11 and there’s lots of white space in these pages) gives you some ideas on how to bring the world into your home and how to bring more reading into your home. Part Two is made up of lists of books categorized by part of the world and age range the book is suggested for.
This book encourages me to read more with my child and to bring new cultures and thinking into our home. The only thing that disappointed me was that there are only book recommendations for ages 4 through 12. I would love some suggestions for younger kiddos and for teens, as I love reading teen books myself!
This book encourages me to read more with my child and to bring new cultures and thinking into our home. The only thing that disappointed me was that there are only book recommendations for ages 4 through 12. I would love some suggestions for younger kiddos and for teens, as I love reading teen books myself!
August 11, 2018
Fantastic resource. Should be on the shelves of every family home - especially homeschoolers, but really anyone who wants their kids to grow up with a solid foundation of both global geography and cultural awareness. Worth owning! There are a lot of references to Christianity and Christian beliefs, this book is written from a Christian perspective but includes a *lot* of books that cover different beliefs to various degrees. This book is published by a Christian publisher and is filed under "religious family life", so keep that in mind if you are looking for something secular. Either way, the books listed themselves are mostly books that would be used by anyone regardless of belief.
August 17, 2020
Preskočte úvod plný vnútorných modlitieb a popisu autorkynej cesty od božieho vnuknutia po šťastnú rodinu. Táto kniha je totiž fajný výber tipov na detské knihy o/z celého sveta. Samozrejme v angličtine. Začína non-fiction zoznamom o živote detí z celého sveta a pokračuje výberom kníh o jednotlivých svetadieloch. Beletria je zoradená podľa miesta, kde sa odohráva. Autorka ponúka celkom dobrý prehľad, pričom sa väčšinou drží miestnych autorov. (Slovenské knihy tam nenájdete žiadne, české sa do výberu dostali dve od Sísa.) Beletria je zameraná skôr na lokálnu históriu, skutočné alebo fiktívne príbehy zo života detí v určitých obdobiach a známe osobnosti.
May 15, 2018
My kids thought I was crazy for reading a book about books, but it is more than that. It’s about how to give your kids a broader perspective on the world even when you’re at home. We checked out several of the kids’ book from the booklist part and enjoyed them. I love that the book lists are divided by age so you can adapt as they grow older.
February 5, 2018
A beautiful compilation of book lists organized by region and age-range. I immediately maxed out 3 library card on hold lists with many of the great titles found in this book. I plan to keep this one close at hand as I read to my kids and offer recommendations to them.
February 19, 2024
This is an excellent book if you are a homeschooling parent who wants to plan your reading curriculum toward social studies. It's basically a book of reading lists by continent -> regions -> age levels. We recently bought a gigantic world map to hang on our wall and we're plotting dots with an index of books we've read around the world. This book gives lots of great ideas from picture books to 12 years old.
PART ONE: FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE WORLD (only 35 pages total)
1. The Good Earth: A Love Story
2. Practical Ways to Invite the World Into Your Home
3. The Power of Story
PART TWO: READ THE WORLD
(each chapter is organized by age levels 4-6, 6-8, 8-10, and 10-12)
4. The Joy of Other Lands: How to Use the Reading Lists
5. Children Just Like Me: Multicultural Books
6. Bring the Rain: Africa (Benin, Chad, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
7. Number the Stars: Europe (Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland)
8. The Weaving of a Dream: Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand, Tibet, Vietnam)
9. Silent Music: Middle East (Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestine)
10. Wagon Wheels: North America (African American, Canada, Native American, United States)
11. A Harvest of Hope: Latin America (Brazil, Caribbean, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatamala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Venezuela)
12. Sailing Off: Australia, Oceania, and the Polar Regions (Antartica, Arctic, Australia, New Zealand, Papua Guinea)
Further, at the end the book lists are indexed by Author, Country/Region, and Historical.
PART ONE: FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE WORLD (only 35 pages total)
1. The Good Earth: A Love Story
2. Practical Ways to Invite the World Into Your Home
3. The Power of Story
PART TWO: READ THE WORLD
(each chapter is organized by age levels 4-6, 6-8, 8-10, and 10-12)
4. The Joy of Other Lands: How to Use the Reading Lists
5. Children Just Like Me: Multicultural Books
6. Bring the Rain: Africa (Benin, Chad, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
7. Number the Stars: Europe (Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland)
8. The Weaving of a Dream: Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand, Tibet, Vietnam)
9. Silent Music: Middle East (Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestine)
10. Wagon Wheels: North America (African American, Canada, Native American, United States)
11. A Harvest of Hope: Latin America (Brazil, Caribbean, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatamala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Venezuela)
12. Sailing Off: Australia, Oceania, and the Polar Regions (Antartica, Arctic, Australia, New Zealand, Papua Guinea)
Further, at the end the book lists are indexed by Author, Country/Region, and Historical.
April 16, 2019
I appreciated the premise of this book and found it an interesting resource that I'd like to keep handy in the coming years. Martin has compiled well-organized annotated book lists, each chapter categorized by area of the world (the first, multicultural, and subsequently by continent), age range, and finally, country or region; there are also notes on any religious and mature themes to be aware of in particular books. Martin does state she has not personally read every book recommended, which I was hesitant about, especially because it's not always clear which books she's actually read herself. On another note, many of the books tend toward a historical, rather than cultural or ethnic, focus, though that is of course a facet of "culture." Caveats aside, there are plenty of intriguing titles (and summaries) to consider, some familiar to me (one of my all-time favorites,
When Jessie Came Across the Sea
), many new, and many that caught my eye, including
Bread, Bread, Bread
,
National Geographic Kids Ultimate U.S. Road Trip Atlas: Maps, Games, Activities, and More for Hours of Backseat Fun
, and
Children Just Like Me
.
November 16, 2020
When my parents moved recently, I discovered whole boxes of books that my dad had curated in order to “give us the world.” He said he made an effort to collect books that featured cross-culture kids that we (missionary kids) could relate to. I hadn’t realized he was intentional about it, but it’s true, those were my favorite books. I felt less alone in my cultural blunders with Kit Tyler (The Witch of Blackbird Pond) and “Lutzi” (Moonraker’s Bride) at my side.
I loved the FOUR indexes at the end of this booklist book (Title index, country index, author index and historical index) — they will be so helpful when I go find these wonderful books.
I loved the FOUR indexes at the end of this booklist book (Title index, country index, author index and historical index) — they will be so helpful when I go find these wonderful books.
Read
December 27, 2023This book is mostly meant to be a resource in the form of very organized and extensive book lists - which is what I want it for. So it’s hard to give a rating as I have not used the book lists yet. But I’m excited to dive in and see what we can add to our homeschool! The first few chapters are mostly about Jamie’s family and some suggestions and ideas for making your home “globally minded”. These chapters are easy reads and lead you right into the section of book lists organized by region.
January 17, 2022
I appreciate the idea behind this book, but I had several issues with it. There was no reference to any studies or articles by experts in the field. This simply felt like a blogger copied and pasted her blog posts into one document and called it a book. Rather than saying "we do this and this and it's the right way," I wish she would have presented bits of research and WHY it helps raise globally-minded children and then given examples, including hers, of how to implement it in our lives.
July 21, 2022
I love books that validate me and my beliefs. I cringe when I hear things like, “We don’t travel with our kids because they won’t remember it.” That’s not the point! So much more happens when you travel with kids: memories, growing personalities, shaping relationships, gaining new perspectives. These don’t have to be great adventures across the globe! Trips to restaurants, to the next town, across state lines. Some of our greatest early traveling adventures with our babies were all in our home state. We look back on some of these adventures and think, “Wow…we were brave (insane)!” Physical small trips spark a desire for more learning. Traveling to new places through books is one of the greatest gifts ever!!! I am so hopeful that lists through the chapters in this book are shared somewhere in pdf form! She shares so many amazing options divided into region, food, water, etc. If you can’t travel big or small, far or local, you can always travel and grow in books! ❤️ 📚
March 10, 2020
I wish there was more priority given to authors and illustrators from around the globe who are representing their own cultures. I mean, The Story of Ping by Margery Flack is a cute little book but I hesitate to claim it represents Chinese culture.
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