Goddard Schools proudly create environments that embrace and celebrate the diversity of the families served. We know that feeling seen, heard and like you belong is incredibly important for children and their families. We’re honored to partner with families to bring different cultures to life in the classroom. If you want to introduce your child to different cultures, reading books and sharing stories is a great way to do that! Here are some children’s books that reflect the many different fall and winter celebrations:
- Our Day of the Dead Celebration by Ana Aranda — A family honors their living and dead relatives as they celebrate this holiday with shared food and stories.
- Diwali: A Festival of Lights by Anita Yasuda — A book for families getting ready to enjoy the holiday or those who want to learn more about it.
- The Night Before Eid by Aya Khalil — A celebration of Muslim culture with food, family and history. It also includes a recipe for ka’ak, a delicious bread!
- Harvest Days: Giving Thanks Around the World by Kate DePalma — This book celebrates harvest festivals from 12 cultures around the globe including South Korea, Poland, India, Bolivia, Ghana, Barbados, Morocco, Liberia, Iran, Spain and Germany.
- Latkes and Applesauce: A Hanukkah Story by Fran Manushkin — This is a classic holiday story about kindness.
- Tamales For Christmas by Stephen Briseño — A tale that explores a grandmother’s generosity and the magic of tamales.
- Our Italian Christmas Eve by Danielle Sedita and Francesco Sedita — Christmas Eve is a time for family, presents, music and food.
- The Magical Snowflake by Bernette Ford — An inclusive holiday book that celebrates the winter season, community, family and friendship.
- An Anishinaabe Christmas by Wab Kinew — Indigenous picture book that explores both Christmas traditions and Anishinaabe culture.
- Charlotte and the Nutcracker by Charlotte Nebres — With the help of her Trinidadian and Filipino families, encouragement from her sister and a view of her mom and dad in the audience, Charlotte finds the strength to never give up.
- The Chinese New Year Helper by Ying Chang Compestine — A young girl finds an exciting role for herself at the Chinese New Year celebration in her family’s restaurant.
- Let’s Celebrate Korean New Year! by Michelle W. Park — A story that follows two sisters as they explore the Korean traditions of Seollal while learning about the importance of family.
- Hannah and the Ramadan Gift by Qasim Rashid — This book celebrates good deeds during the month of Ramadan.
- The Night Before Passover by Natasha Wing — It’s the night before Passover and a little girl is excited to spend it with family.
- The Shortest Day by Wendy Pfeffer — Learn the history and significance of the Winter Solstice and how different cultures around the world observe it.
- Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story by Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry and Alexis Bunten — Read about the first Thanksgiving from the Wampanoag perspective as they teach Pilgrims to grow corn, beans and squash (the Three Sisters).
My family has celebrated Kwanzaa since my adult children were young, and we now celebrate it with my grandchildren. Kwanzaa doesn’t replace Christmas celebrations; it’s a cultural celebration honoring African American heritage. Kwanzaa (translated means First Fruits) begins December 26 and goes through January 1. While it’s a seven-day celebration (one day for each principle), we celebrate Kwanzaa as we gather on New Year’s Day and enjoy a meal that includes black-eyed peas and rice. This is a traditional African American meal enjoyed on the first day of the year and is said to bring good luck. The youngest of us gathered review the symbols and principles of Kwanzaa and then each of us selects one of the principles to focus on for the year. Here are two children’s books that explain our Kwanzaa celebration:
- The Night Before Kwanzaa by Natasha Wing and Kirsti Jewel — This is a story of family as they celebrate family and talk about the meaning of each day.
- Together for Kwanzaa by Juwanda G. Ford and Shelly Hehenberger — An introduction to Kwanzaa that will teach all about the traditions and practices of this winter holiday.
