The best way to understand and appreciate another culture is by meeting its people, listening to its music, and creating its arts and crafts. Of course, if you're traveling to another country, children will experience a new culture first-hand. To help prepare them for an international adventure, some families read books, play ethnic music at home, and present new "foreign" foods at the dinner table. Some good books can be used to prepare for a trip or just to help create diverse experiences. In your own home, you can use your imagination and your senses to experience new cultures, too!

The Kids Multicultural Art Book, Art and Craft Experiences from Around the World (by Alexandra M. Terzian, Williamson Publishing, $12.95) Ages 3-9

Come explore the roots, rhythms, designs, and traditions found in art from the far corners of the earth in this hands-on multicultural experience. Children will reach across continents and oceans with paper, paints and glue. Travel to Mexico and create a folk art Tree of Life, and then head over to Japan to create a Japanese Folding Screen. Decorate your room with an African mask, or head over to the Plains of North America and make a Lakota-Sioux Charm Bag. All of the projects, some to create ceremonial art and some to make practical artifacts to wear and use, come with a "Culture Clue" which explains to children its special meaning in its native culture.

I Wonder Why Countries Fly Flags and Other Questions about People and Places, by Philip Steele (Kingfisher/Larousse PLC, $11.95) Ages 4-12

This book is organized by 31 imaginative queries. Questions like "Where do men wear skirts?" or "Where does chocolate grow on trees?" are followed by thoughtful, engaging responses. Vivid watercolors, cartoons, and neat facts surround each answer. The tone is even-handed, free of clichés, and will leave children filled with wonder about the diversity of our planet.  

The DK Geography of the World(Jayne Parsons, $29.99) Ages 9 and up.

This is your family ticket to a trip around the world, via hundreds of photographs and a concise friendly text. The vivid illustrations reflect world geography by covering the landscape, climate, culture, people, and everyday life. The whole family can enjoy over 60 full-scale 3D maps, plus 900 color photographs and 500 charts, all of which create a distinct picture of other cultures. This DK book is a definite "must-have" around the house, as a homework helper or to explain something just heard on the news.

Pick Your Brains About (Cadogan Guides, $9.95) children and their parents

This is a series of paperbacks providing fun and informative historical and cultural lessons for children about a European countries. The series covers England, France, Italy, and Spain extensively, with easy-to-read tables and cartoons that bring the facts to life. The books touch upon “Vital Facts and Figures,” a typical school day, customs, famous people and buildings from each country, as well as lists of “Good Books and Wicked Web sites” where inquisitive minds can learn more. The books are written from a British perspective, but the informal style and useful hints about weather and country-specific behaviors make these guides useful to all travelers who want to learn about and appreciate their destination in advance.

Children Just Like Me by Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley (DK Publishing Inc./Dorling Kindersley Ltd., $19.99) Ages 9-12

This is a copiously-illustrated hardcover celebrating the 50th Anniversary of UNICEF. Its 79 pages introduce dozens of children from around the world who tell us in words and superb photographs about their favorite foods, families, schools, national dress, and other aspects of life. It's very polished, detailed, and sure to prompt questions.

Marco Polo for Kids by Janis Herbert (Chicago Review Press, $16.95) Ages 9+
If you’re contemplating a China or Middle East trip, this is a wonderfully written history and activity guide. Kids and parents will enjoy learning together from its tinted fact boxes and charts. For example, before or after a visit to the Chinese cradle of civilization at Xi’an, you can turn to the Kitchen Terra Cotta recipe and make your own tomb guardians. On the road, kids can try Qigong exercise (the precursor to Kung Fu), read about tea, learn phrases in Mongol, even stage an Opera in the Beijing tradition. Or you can study the chapters about Marco Polo’s travels in Persia and India for another family journey.

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