Enriching Children Through Books

A great way to teach children about people of different races, religions, and cultures is through books. Topics like death, happiness, friendship, adoption, trials, and sibling rivalry happen to people of all over the world. Using books with characters from different cultures is a wonderful way to show children how much they have in common with people they may think are completely different from them. For example, take the classic story of Cinderella.
Many people automatically think ‘Disney’ when they hear the name Cinderella, but the tale can be found in Egypt, Persia, China, Korea, Mexico, and many other countries. Each has it’s own special twist on the story and adds it’s own cultural flare to the mix. The fact that the story of Cinderella tackles topics like family challenges, losing a parent, and love makes it a tale that people from all over the world can relate to.
The book ‘The Devil’s Arithmetic’ by Jane Yolen is a great book to use to give children an appreciation for the Jewish culture and the Holocaust. The main character, Hannah, is sick and tired of having to hear boring stories about the past. During the Passover dinner with her family, Hannah is magically transported to Poland in the year 1941 where she is known as Chaya. Soon after she arrives, Hannah and her new family are captured by Nazis and taken to a concentration camp. Hannah is terrified of what will happen to her because she already knows about the gruesome things that await her at the camp. Hannah survives her time in the camp until she decides to save a girl named Rivka by taking her place at the shooting wall. Right after her execution, Hannah wakes up and is back at her family’s dinner and she realizes that the girl that she saved was actually her Aunt. This experience give Hannah a greater appreciation for her culture, her family and the ‘boring stories’ she used to hate so much. Children can learn volumes through reading stories like these, and doing so will help make them well rounded adults.