I need picture books

[Marsha]

for each Biome and Continent.
Any suggestions?
Thank you

[Alessandra]

What age are you looking for? My short answer would be Bobbie Kalman's books -- she has a continent series and a biome series. We have a bunch of (secular) elementary level books on both subjects -- I could look at some titles and post later, if you are interested.

[dragons in the flower bed]

Do you want one to teach generally about each, or do you want picture books that relate to each as a theme?

For the latter, the American Library Association offers an annotated bibliography for each continent. I like the ALA's lists better than any other of the many multicultural bibliographies available online because it attempts to restrict itself to picture books written or illustrated by individuals who lived in the region about which they are writing. They're called Growing Up Around the World (http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/compubs/booklists/growingupwrld/GrowingUpAroundWorld.cfm) and are downloadable as PDFs.

[Hazelt"nut"]

What a great tip on the booklist website for cultural awareness. I'm picking up Galloping the Globe from the library today in order to preview for next year and this will give me more living books to add to our list. Thank you!
Sheryl

[stripe]

The book
New Press Guide to Multicultural Resources
ed. by Daphne Muse
has books for upper levels as well. Mostly fiction but not exclusively. I am currently pawing through this, from my library.

I think the ALA's lists are okay but not great -- the Middle East/Asia suggestions in particular seem pretty skimpy to me. It's an okay starting point but you'll likely want more. There has also been a bit more books published on, say, Afghanistan than whenever this or the New Press book was put together. There is at least one article in the New Press guide about the treatment of Arabs in books on the region (for example in various books about Israel) that highlights some potential problems and covers why it is that there are not always quality books published.

Other suggestions include
Cynthia Leitich Smith's website (http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/diversity/multicultural/multi_background.html)

Cooperative Children's Book Center (http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/default.asp), Univ of Wisconsin Madison

--> which publishes this resource
Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults. A Selected Listing of Books by and about People of Color. Volume Two: 1991-1996.
by Ginny Kruse
It can be read online in its entirety but not printed/saved here at google books (http://books.google.com/books?id=ArHuPBejyxUC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0)