GREGORY GARDENS READ-A-THON – SEPTEMBER 2025
Recommended Multicultural Books
Not sure what to read? Start your journey around the globe! Below is a list of multicultural, age-appropriate books (click the title to shop on Amazon). These award-winning stories introduce children to adventure and everyday life in countries all over the world.
Recommended Multicultural Books, Ages 4-8
AFRICA:
- Egypt: The Day of Ahmed's Secret by Florence Parry Heide.
- Ethiopia: The Best Beekeeper of Lalibela: A Tale from Africa by Cristina Kessler.
- Kenya: Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Jo Napoli.
ASIA:
- Afghanistan: Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan by Jeanette Winter.
- China: Ruby's Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges.
- Japan: Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein.
- Korea: The Firekeeper's Son By Linda Sue Park.
- India: Monsoon by Uma Krishnaswami.
- Iran: The Knight, the Princess, and the Magic Rock: A Classic Persian Tale by Sara Azizi.
- Iraq: The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter.
- Israel: Snow in Jerusalem by Deborah Da Costa.
- Lebanon: Sami and the Time of the Troubles by Florence Parry Heide.
- Pakistan: Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams.
- Palestine: Sitti’s Secrets by Naomi Shihab Nye.
EUROPE:
- France: The Cat Who Walked Across France by Kate Banks.
- Ireland: Fiona's Luck by Teresa Bateman.
- Poland: The Cats in Krasinski Square by Karen Hesse.
- Russia: Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev.
- Scotland: Wee Gillis by Munro Leaf.
- Sweden: The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren.
NORTH AMERICA:
- Canada: A Promise is a Promise by Robert Munsch.
- Caribbean Islands: (unnamed country) Jimmy the Greatest! by Jairo Buitrago.
- Cuba: Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music by Margarita Engle.
- Mexico: Diego Rivera: His World and Ours by Duncan Tonatiuh.
- Plains Indians: Buffalo Woman by Paul Goble.
- Guatemala: Abuela's Weave by Omar S. Castaneda.
SOUTH AMERICA:
- Brazil/The Amazon: Rain, Rain, Rain Forest by Brenda Z. Guiberson.
- Chile: Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People by Monica Brown.
- Colombia: Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown.
- Peru: Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale from The Andes (Andes Mountains).
Recommended Multicultural Books, Ages 9–12
- Afghanistan: The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
- Bangladesh: Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins
- Caribbean Islands: The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
- China: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
- China/USA: The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
- Cuba: The Wild Book by Margarita Engle
- India/Pakistan: The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
- India/USA: The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami
- Mexico/USA: Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
- Ojibwe, Native American: The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
- Oman (Arabian Peninsula/Asia): The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye
- Pakistan: Iqbal by Francesco D’Adamo
- Pakistani-American: Amina’s Song by Hena Khan
- Vietnam/USA: Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
- Sudan: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
- Sudan: The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney
- Syria/UK: The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf
- Taiwan/USA: The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin
- Ukraine (Chernobyl): The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman
Company matching
Turn $50 into $100 with Company Matching!
Did you know many companies will match your donation to Gregory Gardens Elementary PTA through a platform called Benevity? That means your gift could go twice as far at no extra cost to you!
Here’s how:
- Log into your company’s giving or HR portal
- Search for Gregory Gardens Elementary PTA in Benevity
- Submit your donation or match request
Every matched dollar helps us fund programs like Scholastic newsletters, the garden, and various Gator programs!
Have questions? Email us at gregorygardenspta@gmail.com, we’ll help you get set up!
Here’s a pro tip for Read-A-Thon 📚✨:
When grandparents, aunts, uncles, or family friends send your child donations (ex: $50 from Grandma + $20 from a friend), have them Venmo it to you directly. Then, submit the total donation through your company’s Benevity matching program if available.
👉 Example:
Family donates $70 total
You submit $70 through Benevity
Your company matches it = $140 for our school! 🎉
It’s a simple way to double the impact of every dollar raised while making it easy for family and friends to support your child’s reading goals.
Need help with Benevity? Email us at gregorygardenspta@gmail.com, we’ll help walk you through it!
#GoGators #ReadAThon #DoubleYourImpact