Adventures in Culture

Did you know that Chutes and Ladders originated thousands of years ago in India? Or that playing cards have been around for centuries? Games have always been a part of many cultures as a way to entertain or pass the time. Young readers finally get a chance through this book to see and learn about popular games in other cultures, learning that we're not all so different, even though the games might be. No library or classroom would be complete without this book.

Going to school on a boat or even a moving school bus aren't the settings for a fictional story, but real-life scenarios for some children around the world. Readers will love learning about different schools and cultures-and picturing what their lives would be like in similar circumstances. This beneficial volume, with its bright, colorful images, is a worthy addition to any social studies collection.

Apartments, houses, log cabins, and houseboats are all kinds of homes, though they can look vastly different. Around the world, families settle into homes that can look quite different than these, yet serve the same purpose: to shelter. This volume will capture readers' imaginations, allowing them to view various types of homes, including the yaodongs of China and Queenslanders of Australia. Beautiful photographs serve to illustrate both architectural and cultural concepts.

It may seem obvious to adults, but many young readers don't yet know that all cultures have the same kinds of activities. We all cook, we all entertain ourselves, we all wear things, we all transport ourselves, we all sleep, and much more. This important book allows readers to journey around the world and cultivate an early interest in the global community they belong to by understanding how people from elsewhere contribute their time, skills, and effort to their work. Full-color photography enhances comprehension on every spread.

Did you know that dolls have been found to be a toy in nearly every culture on Earth? In childhood, it's hard to imagine that there are even other places in the world, let alone that these places have children with totally different toys. This book shows the rich diversity of playthings children across the globe entertain themselves and learn with. Through easy-to-understand language and vivid full-color photography on every spread, this important work also teaches that we all have the same basic needs as humans. No children's library or classroom should be without this book.

Baking, salt-packing, pickling, frying, stewing, roasting, grilling. These culinary techniques are used in countries around the world today, but they each originated out of the necessity of a certain region and its people to create meals for themselves. Readers will be so enthralled, they won't guess they're learning social studies as they journey across the world from kitchen to kitchen through the pages this book. Accessible text and foreign-yet-familiar photographs teach how different and the same we all are when it comes to preparing food.

Traveling a distance for many means taking a bus, car, train, or maybe a bicycle. In other parts of the world, however, forms of transportation may include rickshaws, gondolas, hovercraft, or cable cars. This fast-paced volume invites readers to hop aboard on a journey to test out some of the most fascinating modes of travel around the globe. Lively, accessible text and vivid photographs emphasize this interesting aspect of world cultures.

Young readers today are exposed to diversity that past generations could never have experienced. This book helps them understand how the simple act of communication happens throughout a wide diversity of cultures. By promoting an early interest in other cultures, these books strengthen young readers' understanding of their place in the global community, conveying the unfamiliar in a familiar way. Discussing diversity with young readers, each page has accessible, fun text and vibrant, full-color photography that pops off each spread to enhance comprehension of the subject matter.

Do they celebrate Christmas in Thailand, or New Year's Eve in Iceland? What is Passover like in Israel? It's time to celebrate the holidays with people around the world. Readers are sure to be fascinated by the diverse ways people gather for and celebrate the holidays. Important vocabulary and cultural concepts are stressed in accessible text that's enjoyable for even the most reluctant readers. Striking, full-color photographs on each spread bring the diversity of our world's cultures into splendidly detailed focus.