FIUTS Recommends: Holiday Book List for Kids & Young Adults
Give the gift of global learning to a child or young adult this holiday season! We’ve curated a list of 15+ books geared towards youth — check them out on our Bookshop!
Looking for the perfect holiday gift for your little one, teenager, niece, nephew, grandchild, or neighbor? We've curated a collection of books to captivate attention and spark joy for children and teens spending extra time at home! The following booklist highlights stories of diverse backgrounds, communities, and experiences. There are many great reads youth can explore to expand their world view without leaving home!
FIUTS is excited to announce that we are now an affiliate of Bookshop, an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. That means any purchases you make through the site using one of our links supports us and also aids local independent bookstores!
Interested in browsing FIUTS Bookshop recommendations or picking up a title that’s been on your wishlist for a while? Visit our Bookshop here.
Important: you must be logged into the FIUTS Bookshop page for proceeds to benefit FIUTS. You’ll know you’re in the right page if you see the FIUTS logo in the top left corner!
Check out a sneak peek of FIUTS book recommendations for kids and teens from your favorite FIUTS Staff… Full guides available on our Bookshop:
Kailey Ulland, Database and Community Programs Assistant
A children’s book I’d like to recommend is Sylvia and Aki by Winifred Conkling. Set during World War II, the story goes back and forth between two third graders in California. One is moved to a Japanese-Internment camps while the other is challenging school segregation in the historic Mendez vs. Westminster lawsuit. Based on the true stories of Sylvia Mendez and Aki Munemitsu, this book is ultimately about courage.
Another great read is Stormy Seas: Stories of Young Boat Refugees by Mary Beth Leatherdale and Eleanor Shakespeare. Heartening, but hopeful, Story Seas is a collection of 5 true stories about young people from around the world who have all set sails as refugees.
Ellen Frierson, Manager of Education Programs
With two young kids at home, one of my favorite children’s books is: Barefoot Books: Children of the World by Kate Depalma. This book includes beautiful illustrations on every page, showing children all over the world engaged in activities such as playing, eating, doing chores, celebrating, and writing their names against the backdrop of diverse global cultures and landscapes. It's a great way to inspire conversation about culture, difference, and similarity with young kids - my five-year-old loves looking at this book! I appreciate that it's also thoroughly researched. The last 15 pages have further context and information about the cultures represented in each picture throughout the book.
Favorite Quote:
"Every life has a story. It's easier to understand someone when you know their story. You are a part of the world. You are also a world all your own. This is where you belong. What will happen in your story?"
Alex Radi, Manager of student Programs
A children’s book that I can highly recommend is Night on the Galactic Railroad. I love this book for so many reasons. For a children’s fable, it is immensely deep and full of philosophical ponderings. The author, Kenji Murasawa, utilizes clever wordplay to question the meaning of life, the pursuit of happiness, and the concept of life after death. It is one of those few books where I feel like I’m learning something new every time I read it.
Favorite Quotes:
”No one knows what true happiness is, least of all me. But no matter how hard it is, if you keep to the path you deem to be true, you can overcome any mountain. With each step in that direction, people come closer to happiness.”
”For several minutes Giovanni stood there daydreaming about whether the sky really was filled with scorpions and warriors, and how much he’d love to walk forever and ever through that sky.”
Bonus Recommendation
Aimi Shukri, FIUTS community member, would like to recommend a set of therapeutic books for kids that are published in Malay. Her cousin, an undergraduate student in early childhood education, worked on the series. Here is the link to the first set of books!
Visit our Bookshop for a full list of 15+ children’s book recommendations!
Questions? Please contact Annie Lewis, Operations and Communications Coordinator, at annie@fiuts.org.