Given below is a list of books with African characters. I have tried to include books which would give a glimpse into different African cultural backgrounds.
Please use your own discretion when selecting the book for your kid/family.
I have listed the name of the country next to the book link, either the main character lives in that country or has links to it.
Every year our family of 4 travels to India to meet our extended family and we spend about a month there. So, my elementary school going boys have been exposed to 2 different cultures extensively. We have also travelled to a few more countries and they have noticed, talked about and compared the difference in food, homes, appearances and lifestyles. But there is so much more to explore, so much more to learn in this diverse world!
One of the many boons of internet and access to books/local libraries is that we can learn about different countries and its culture sitting at home. And this is exactly what we plan to do in the coming weeks.
My last post has the timeline that I plan to follow.
Here are a few sites/links that I have searched that will help in making a start to this learning process.
Our city has in the last couple of years started holding Beer Gardens over weekends. At one such event a friend, who also happens to be a teacher, suggested reading the book ‘Home of the Brave’ by Katherine Applegate.
And from there our conversation shifted to how many of our kids are still totally oblivious to or haven’t been exposed to what life is for people living in other parts of the world. In the same week I also happened to read this very interesting article ‘How Cross-Racial Scenes in Picture Books Build Acceptance’.
These thoughts lingered in my mind for days and I came up with a plan through which our family will collectively try learning more about the world that we live in.
It is important that kids learn, understand and respect the diverse world in which they live, and only will they be well-rounded individuals.