Children's Book Week is from 4-10 October this year and is all about books around the world. Here are our recommendations that will give you an insight into some different cultural perspectives.
Amazing Grace (giant print 1v) by Mary Hoffman is about a young girl who believes she can be everything she wants to be. But then when someone points out that she can't be Peter Pan in the school play because she is a girl and she is black, she is deflated. But her grandmother shows her that she really can be anyone she wants to be.
Older children might like to try Journey to Jo'Berg (giant print 1v) by Beverley Naidoo - a modern classic set in South Africa which tells of a brother and sister who set out on a momentous journey to find their mother in Johannesburg because their little sister is very ill. The realities of racism and apartheid are apparent throughout but the loving spirit of the children makes it a beautiful story.
Another journey worth taking is Journey to the river sea by Eva Ibbotson (braille 3v, giant print 2v, TB 15910), an exciting adventure story following the travels of orphan Maia and her governess from a comfortable life in London to a future with distant relatives in South America. This story got great reviews from our readers.
A life like mine: [how children live around the world] (braille 1v), explores how children from different cultures live. They may be a different colour to you, have different surroundings, and speak different languages - yet you might be surprised at how much you have in common.
Sally Grindley's Spilled water (braille 2v) is an emotive read. Lu Si-yan is sold into domestic service in China at the tender age of 11, and her life is said to be a waste - like 'spilled water'.
Roll of thunder, hear my cry (braille 4v, giant print 2v) by Mildred D Taylor is another modern classic. Set in 1930's Mississippi, the narrator is a 9-year-old black girl, Cassie. The racism and injustice of the period will make you feel glad you live in the here and now. For a book with similar themes, try To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee (braille 4-6v, giant print 3v, TB 2289).
Benjamin Zephaniah is an author and poet who writes about other cultures, for example, Refugee boy which is available in braille (3v). His collection of poems Wicked world (giant print 1v) is a whistle-stop tour around the world themed around people and places, cultures, nationalities and tribes. Another of his poetry collections, Too black, too strong (TB 13465), focuses on the struggles of black people in Britain today.
Does my head look big in this? Asks teenager Amal in the novel by Randa Abdel-Fattah (giant print 2v) referring to her hijab (the head scarf worn by Muslim women). Having recently changed schools she is now around people who don't understand her culture and she faces racism and prejudice when she wears the scarf. This story is funny and above all, a fascinating insight into a young Muslim girl's life and thoughts.
In Bali Rai's (Un)arranged marriage (braille 3v, TB 13823), Manny has always tried to make himself unsuitable for a marriage that he knows is inevitable - one where he won't know the bride, let alone love her: an arranged marriage. He doesn't want the same things that his family wants. But a trip to India forces him to come to terms with the fact that like it or not, that day will come.
How will you celebrate Children's Book Week? Why not try some of the books we have listed. You could also think about books written by authors from other countries such as Pippi Longstocking (braille 2v, giant print 1v, TB 16158), or traditional folk tales from around the world such as Nyamia and the bag of gold by Debjani Chatterjee (braille 1v) or How to count crocodiles by Margaret Mayo (TB 15566).