Books, videos, and websites for Third Culture Kids
This is a strange story of Valentine’s Day love set in an International School. Cupid & Dove visit an elementary school seeking to bring love but instead creating confusion. Written by an 11 year old TCK in the form of a (very) long poem, it’s a sweet book but the cadence of the poem changes a lot and can be difficult to follow. The author includes his own tips for TCKs and parents of TCKs who are moving at the end. There’s also an odd bonus poem about fish dying.
Reading level: age 10-12
A series of hand-drawn cartoons chronicles the real-life experiences of 3 boys whose dad works for the U.S. State Department. We meet them as small children when the family sets out for their first assignment in Mauritania, and the book follows them through postings in France, Cote d’Ivoire, the U.S., and Turkey where the last two boys graduate from high school. The simple, kid-friendly text, and nicely-drawn pictures describe the boys’ everyday lives (where/what they like to play, what type of school they attend, etc.) as well as sharing some of their adventures visiting interesting places in each of the countries. Though perhaps more enjoyable for expat kids who have plenty of similar adventures, the book does not assume that readers have prior knowledge of diplomacy, and starts by explaining diplomats & embassies. That makes it something that any kid could read to learn more about the lives of Third Culture Kids (TCKs) from the diplomatic sector.
Reading level: age 6-9
This older picture book tells the story of a boy whose best friend moves away. They exchanged a cowboy toy for a spaceman toy and then William drove off with his family. Feeling down, Jimmy wanders over to Mary Ellen’s house, another friend his age. He’s surprised to find that they have a lot of fun together and Mary Ellen had been left out before when Jimmy only played with William.
Reading level: age 6 to 9 years
(This book is out of print and may be hard to find.)
Two young girls did everything together, from playing soccer and watching movies to fighting over checkers and getting the chicken pox. When one of them moves away, the other is left behind with only her memories, wishing she still had someone to go to school with or even to say sorry to. There’s still hope at the end, though, that they’ll each make new friends and be happy again.
Reading level: age 5-8 years
Hudson the dog was really excited to get to Paris because his owner told him that dogs get to go everywhere around the city with their owners. He got to go to the bakery and the hairdresser’s and a cafe. But when he arrived at the dog park, he discovered that he couldn’t understand the other dogs! So Hudson enrolled in French classes and started to learn new words to make friends with other expat dogs and Parisian dogs and even got a French girlfriend.
This cute story introduces kids to some basics of moving, like finding the bright side and learning the language and making new friends. Could be fun for little kids who have moved or are preparing to move (or want to visit Paris!).
Reading level: age 5-8 years
Starting from when a kid is preparing to move until they’re settled in their new home, this colorful workbook gives kids a chance to process the whole moving experience. A little migratory bird named Nor guides the process with colorful pages and chances to draw pictures and write out answers to questions. There are five chapters to this book:
I think this is one of the best workbooks for kids who are moving internationally, whether it’s their first or fifth move. It asks great questions and it’s wonderfully illustrated and engaging.
This workbook was originally written in Swedish and available in both English and Swedish.
Reading level: age 6 – 12 years