Courtesy of St. Louis County Library
Hannah Komasinski
Learning about cultures from around the world encourages children to view life from various perspectives. It teaches them to accept others and celebrate differences. Through her role as the collection development specialist for the St. Louis County Library, Hannah Komasinski selects books for all 20 branches of the library system. A regional emphasis on diversity and multiculturalism in children’s literature by groups such as We Need Diverse Books and St. Louis–based nonprofit We Stories has made the need for intentionality in book curation even more important, says Komasinski, who picked out a short list of favorites to introduce wee readers to other cultures.
Babies Around the World
By Puck | Illustrated by Violet Lemay
Duopress, Ages Baby–4
This multilingual board book “tours the world from morning to bedtime with different cultures.” The journey takes readers to such cities as New York, San Francisco, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, London, Paris, Cape Town, Cairo, Beijing, and Tokyo. At each stop, babies greet the reader and welcome them to their homes in their native language with visual cues to represent their location.
Fry Bread
By Kevin Noble Maillard | Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
Roaring Book Press, Ages 3–6
Author Kevin Noble Maillard, an enrolled member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, conveys elements of Native American family and identity through the story of making and sharing fry bread in this award-winning book. “An author’s note points out many stereotypes associated with Native peoples,” says Komasinski, “while providing historical and contemporary facts.”
Chaiwala!
By Priti Birla Maheshwari | Illustrated by Ashley Barron
Owlkids, Ages 3–7
This book, from an Ontario-based educator who was born in New Delhi, India, was written in “a lyrical verse to engage children,” says Komasinski. The story is about a young girl and her mother waiting for a cup of chai in a bustling train station in Jaipur, and it’s packed with sensory details—the aroma of ginger, tea leaves rustling, milk bubbling—that bring the scene to life in vivid detail.
This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from Around the World
By Matt Lamothe
Chronicle Books, Ages 5–8
This illustrated book follows seven kids—from Italy, Japan, Iran, India, Peru, Uganda, and Russia—through a single day. Using photos sent to him by families around the globe as inspiration, author Matt Lamothe created illustrations depicting “children from different cultures at the same times of the day to draw connections between similarities and differences,” says Komasinski.
