Major Non-Western Cultures

Sonlight's 5th year is a study of cultures too often neglected in traditional approaches to history. As Sonlight's catalog describes it, this year "focuses on peoples in the least evangelized areas of the world: North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia...We begin in the South Pacific, then quickly move up through southeast Asia to study the history, culture and religions of the countries and cultures of Japan, China, India, the Middle East, and Africa."

We were disappointed in the spine text used to outline the history of these regions (the World Book Encyclopedia on CD-ROM, which is a wonderful encyclopedia but too dry as a textbook), and we resorted to mostly library books to serve the purpose. The series we liked best is called Enchantment of the World and is published by Children's Press. Other, similar, series are readily available in libraries. Some of the specific titles we used are listed below.

General Resources

Children Just Like Me--Susan Elizabeth Copsey, Barnabas Kindersley, Anabel Kindersely, Harry Belafonte

Children Just Like Me: Celebrations!--Anabel Kindersley, Barnabas Kindersley

Children Just Like Me: Our Favorite Stories—Jamila Gavin

The Usborne Round the World Cookbook--Caroline Young

Antarctica

Antarctica (Enchantment of the World)—Henry Billings

Destination: Antarctica—Robert Swan

Playing with Penguins And other Adventures in Antarctica—Ann McGovern Good for younger children.

Australia

Featherbys--Mary Steele Fiction set in Australia.

Japan

Japan (Enchantment of the World)--Ann Heinrichs

China

Ancient China (Nature Company Discoveries)--Judith Simpson

The Great Wall—Elizabeth Mann

People’s Republic of China (Enchantment of the World)—Kim Dramer

Tales of a Chinese Grandmother—Frances Carpenter

Ancient China Treasure Chest

China (Scholastic Professional Books)—Diana Granat and Stanlee Brimberg

China Activity Book (Hands-On Heritage)—Linda Milliken

Korea

Year of Impossible Goodbyes—Sook Nyui Choi Exciting! Young girl and her younger siblings under Communist rule in North Korea.

Korea (Enchantment of the World)—Sylvia McNair

Chi-Hoon : A Korean Girl—Patricia McMahon, Michael F. O’Brien Great for younger children; a photographic documentary of a modern Korean girl's day.

Vietnam

The Brocaded Slipper and Other Vietnamese Tales—Lynette Dyer Vuong

Water Buffalo Days--Quang Nhuong Huynh (sequel to the assigned The Land I Lost)

India

Hidden Jewel (Trailblazer)—Dave and Neta Jackson On Amy Carmichael, missionary to India.

India (Enchantment of the World)—Sylvia McNair

Africa

Trial by Poison Bean (Trailblazer)—Dave and Neta Jackson About Mary Slessor; we read this right after the Sonlight-assigned biography of Mary Slessor and enjoyed comparing the two accounts.

Readers Not Related to History

Henry Reed’s Journey—Keith Robertson

Henry Reed’s Babysitting Service—Keith Robertson

Black Hearts in  Battersea—Joan Aiken

Cold Shoulder Road—Joan Aiken

Nightbirds on Nantucket—Joan Aiken