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Reading Around the World: Books About Afghanistan

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As part of Project Around the World, we’re trying to read books about each of the countries we virtually visit. I’m learning, though, that this may be easier said than done. Ideally, I’d love to find a combination of both fiction and nonfiction books for all ages for each country. Realistically, we’ll do the best we can and with some countries we may have to depend entirely on the Internet.
Here are my recommendations for books about Afghanistan.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Please see my disclosure for more details.

For Elementary-Aged Kids

Count Your Way Through Afghanistan by Jim Haskins & Kathleen Benson – This book will give your kids a good intro about Afghan culture and many of Afghanistan’s unique features. It was simple and kept both of my kid’s attention. We also loved learning to count to 10 in Pashto, one of the major languages of Afghanistan. This is a great introductory book.

 

I See the Sun in Afghanistan by Dodie King – I wish I would have know about this book when we did our project. It’s a perfect choice because it tells about the culture through the eyes of a child. I may now have read this book, but my friend Becky at Kid World Citizen recently reviewed it. Find her review here.

 

A True Book: Afghanistan by Ann Heinrichs – I love this series of books for the basic, age-appropriate introduction it gives about each country of the world. It may be a bit long for a younger child, but it’s easy to summarize and it has a lot of great photos.

Tweens and Teens

 

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements (appropriate for grades 3 through 7) – Sixth grader, Abby Carson, hates doing homework. But, when she finds out she’s in danger of being held back, she agrees to do an extra credit project, writing to a pen pal in another country. The letters flow back and forth between Abby and her pen pal, Sadeed and his sister Amira, from Afghanistan. This is a fantastic book that shows that despite cultural differences, we’re all the same. Read this one together if you’re looking for a book that will spark a lot of great conversations.

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis (appropriate for grades 5 and up) – This book was good friends, really good. It’s the story of 11-year-old Parvana, who is living under the Taliban regime in Kabul, Afghanistan. After her father is arrested, Parvana is the only person in the family that is able to work and provide money. She’s only able to do this because she can disguise herself as a boy. The story is engaging and eye-opening. It’s a must read. Note: This is the first book in a trilogy. I have not yet read the other two, Parvana’s Journey and Mud City, but they are on my must-read list.

You can find our Afghanistan art project, watercolor tiles, here.

Click here to check out all of our Project Around the World posts.

Alicewinks ~ A New Interactive Version of Alice in Wonderland

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*Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Alicewinks. The opinions and text are all mine.

Alice in Wonderland has seen many reincarnations over the years (150 years to be exact!) and Alicewinks is the latest. Not only does Alicewinks tell the original story, it is also animated with the original illustrations of several artists between the periods of 1901-1922. It’s beautiful and enchanting and my girls would not stop watching it.

Alicewinks is best viewed on an iPad, although you can view it on your Kindle Fire or Nook as well (as we did). We opted for the read along version since my oldest daughter is a beginning reader. If you prefer, you can just listen and watch without the words along the bottom.

So why should you check out Alicewinks? Well, it’s fun. Kids love the story. The illustrations are beautiful and perfectly animated. And, as we learned, it’s perfect for traveling. Load up the iPad with the story and suddenly you have something you can feel good about your kids viewing. The story is long; it’s the length of the original book. But, it’s perfect for a long car or plane ride. If your kids are not familiar with the story, Alicewinks is the perfect introduction. It’s also a fun alternative to those that are familiar with the story of Alice in Wonderland.

And by the way… it’s not just for kids! Any grownup with a love for classics would enjoy the beautiful illustrations paired with such a well-loved story. I think I loved it as much as the kids did!

In celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland, Alicewinks brings the story’s classic illustrations to life for digital audiences through animated video and rich narration. To download this one of a kind iBook, visit iTunes.com/alicewinks

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Alicewinks. The opinions and text are all mine.

Story Time: Great Books About Color

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Let’s learn about colors through books!

You’ve probably read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, but there are so many more to choose from.

Here are some more fun books about color. Some you may have heard of and others may be new to you. But, hopefully, you’ll find one that your kids will love.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Fun for Babies and Toddlers

Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton: Ever since they were babies, my girls have loved Sandra Boynton books. This is a fun choice to introduce your little ones to color and get them giggling along the way.

Freight Train by Donald Crews: This simply illustrated book is another great introduction to color. Donald Crews introduces both trains and color to your little ones while they enjoy a train journey. You can get this in a board book format too, so that it’s perfect for the youngest kids.

Cat’s Colors by Jane Cabrera: Your little ones can come along with cat while he explores all the colors of his world. The lively illustrations and simple text will definitely keep your toddler’s attention.

Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh: This is another book that my girls loved when they were little. Read along as three mice discover three jars of primary colored paint and discover all the amazing colors they can make. While I do recommend this one for toddlers, it is also a great choice for preschoolers.

For Preschoolers and Beyond

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert: Celebrate gardens and flowers while learning about colors. The illustrations are beautiful, as is typical in Lois Ehlert books. This is a fun book to explore while learning about flowers and all the many colors they come in. Planting a Rainbow has long been a favorite in our house.

A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni: Come along with chameleon while he tries to find a beautiful color that is all of his own. Does he find his color? You’ll have to read to find out.

Dog’s Colorful Day: A Messy Story About Colors and Counting by Emma Dodd: Dog is messy. He’s very, very mess. Your kids will enjoy following along with dog as he goes from a white dog to a very messy and very colorful dog.

White Rabbit’s Color Book by Alan Baker: This is another fabulous choice for introducing the concept of color mixing. Come along while rabbit discovers a few buckets of paint and starts mixing. This is a simple book that your preschoolers will love and so will your younger kids!

White Is for Blueberry by George Shannon: I love this book because it takes an unexpected look at color. Are blueberries white? Sometimes they are. Are crows pink? Yes, sometimes they are. Choose this book to learn about all the times nature can fool us.

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin: If you were to ask my girls what their favorite book was in this list, they would both choose Pete the Cat. Pete’s a groovy guy who teaches all about color in this fun and lively book.

Now you’ve heard my favorite books about color. Do you have any books you would add to this list?

Story Time: Counting Books

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There are so many counting books to choose from. We love to find a new one at the library and I truly believe counting books are the reason that both of my girls learned to count to 10 at a very early age. Recently we went on a quest to find some fun counting books to share with you.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

 

My Granny Went to Market by Stella Blackstone and Christopher Corr was voted the favorite by the girls. In this story, Granny travels the world picking up items starting with one flying carpet in Istanbul to ten llamas in Peru. We loved our trip around the world with Granny and it was fun to see the items she chose on her journey.

One Big Building: A Counting Book About Construction by Michael Dahl is a perfect counting book if your kids are into construction vehicles. Counting along as a building is built starting with one big plan and ending with a twelve story building.

We’re big fans of Doreen Cronin & Betsy Lewin, so their book Click, Clack, Splish, Splash: A Counting Adventure was a natural fit for this list. Once again all the animals fool poor Farmer Brown. Your kids will love what happens after they see one farmer sleeping and two feet creeping.

A little lion cub is looking for friends to play with in Roar!: A Noisy Counting Book by Pamela Duncan Edwards. Unfortunately, his roar tends to scare everyone off! He scares one red monkey and two pink flamingos. Will he ever find a friend to play with?Do your kids have a favorite counting book? Tell me in the comments. I’d love to check them out!

Story Time: Picnic Books

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After we made our picnic blanket collages, we also enjoyed a few books about picnics. Maybe these fun book choices will inspire you and your kids to go out and have a picnic!

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

There are many version of The Teddy Bears’ Picnic to choose from. We loved this version illustrated by Bruce Whatley. This version has large colorful pictures and encourages a rollicking good time. Whatley drew the pictures to go along with a version of the song performed by Jerry Garcia. Grown-ups will notice a few homages to Garcia throughout the book as the bears enjoy a concert in the woods.

We’re Going on a Picnic! by Pat Hutchins takes you along with hen, goose, and duck on a afternoon picnic. This fast-paced and fun story is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers and encourages lots of pretend play as your kids go on their own picnic!

Come along with Mouse and Minka as they go on a picnic and discover all the joys that summer can bring in Mouse’s First Summer by Lauren Thompson. Your little ones will love experiencing all of mouses’s firsts, watermelon, kite flying, lemonade, and even a fireworks show at the end. If you enjoy this book, Lauren Thompson has written several other books about mouse.

In The Bear’s Water Picnic by John Yeoman and Quentin Blake, we get to go along with Bear and his friends as they have a picnic on a raft. They soon run into a group of very loud frogs who disrupt their peaceful picnic. Find out what happens when the friends try to get away from the frogs.

Out of all the picnic books the girls and I previewed for you, Ready for Anything! by Keiko Kasza was our favorite. Duck is ready for a pleasant picnic, but Raccoon decides not to go. Raccoon imagines all sorts of bad things that could happen, like killer bees and dragons. Duck finally convinces Raccoon not to worry and they learn that with a little preparation, any adventure can be fun.Have you read any good picnic books lately?