This sweet story is told from a grandmother’s perspective as she reflects on how her daily life in the United States compares to her grandson’s in Africa. While she skates on a frozen lake, her grandson is playing in the sand by a tropical pool. She sleeps under a quilt and he sleeps under a gauzy mosquito net. They both love dogs and her dogs miss him. But she knows that each night they both look at the same moon.
This would be a sweet book for children overseas who miss their grandparents and extended family. Reading it could be a great conversation starter for talking about memories of times spend with their own grandparents and thinking of ways their own lives are different or similar from their far away relatives.
Reading level: age 4 to 8 years
Gregory’s dad comes home from work one day and announces that they’re all moving to Japan! Even before leaving their home, the family begins to learn Japanese and how to eat with chopsticks. Everything is different for Gregory in his new home and new school but he tries his best to learn all about the way things are done in Japan. Even without speaking the same language as his classmates, he finds ways to make friends and tries to fit in and is surprised to find out in the end that his classmates are adapting to him too.
Reading level: age 4 to 8 years
This is the first in a series about two Canadian sisters who love to travel the world. The girls travel to Paris and to everything on their list from visiting a bakery to the Louvre to walking on cobblestone streets (which they were doing the whole time without realizing). This is a fun series for kids who like to learn about the world.
Reading level: age 3-10 years
A little boy named Juno is excited to open a letter from his grandmother who lives in Korea but he can’t read it. Juno understands what his grandmother means, though because of the photo and the pressed flowers that his grandmother sent. So he decides to send his own letter back to his grandma with his own pictures and leaves.
This sweet story shows the difficulty of being far from extended family when you’re living in another country and the sweet illustrations are touching.
Reading level: age 3-7 years
Timothy looks forward to starting school, only to find that he never seems to measure up to his classmate, Claude. Claude wears the right clothes, is popular with other kids and the teacher and always knows what to say. And he sits next to Timothy. In the end, he finds friendship in an unlikely place, another student who feels the same way Timothy does.
Reading level: age 3-6 years
Ira’s best friend Reggie is moving away. Ira feels hurt when Reggie idealizes the new location and loses interest in spending time with Ira, and this leads to a fight. The story also illustrates by negative example how not to tell a child about a move. On a more positive note, Ira and Reggie reconcile before the move, and Ira realizes that Reggie felt sad, too. The story also talks about maintaining the friendship through visits and phone calls, which is not realistic for most TCKs, but might start a discussion of other ways of keeping in touch.
Reading level: age 4-7 years
