Have you ever dreamed of traveling the world and experiencing new cultures but don’t have the time or money to make it happen? Well, now you can take an imaginary trip around the globe without ever leaving home through the delightful children’s book “A Ticket Around the World” by authors Natalia Diaz and Melissa Owens.
This informative picture book takes young readers on a journey to 13 different countries across all six populated continents as they follow a young boy who is visiting friends in each location. Along the way, readers are introduced to unique cultures, languages, foods, landmarks, geography, and wildlife. Vibrant illustrations bring each country to life, making it feel as if you are traveling alongside the boy as he embarks on this worldwide adventure.
So how does “A Ticket Around the World” manage to virtually transport readers across the globe while also teaching fascinating facts about world geography, culture, and diversity?
Through playful writing, engaging maps, and whimsical illustrations, this children’s book allows readers to gain an appreciation for the world’s richness and variety without ever leaving home.
In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at “A Ticket Around the World,” including:
- An overview of the book and its authors
- The unique format for bringing nonfiction to young readers
- Details about the countries and cultures featured
- How the book inspires curiosity and world connections
- Why it’s a great educational resource for kids and families
So let’s hop on this imaginary trip around the world and dive right in!
An Overview of the Delightful Children’s Book “A Ticket Around the World”
“A Ticket Around the World” is a 32-page informational picture book written by authors Natalia Diaz and Melissa Owens and brought to life through the playful, realistic illustrations of Kim Smith. It was initially published in 2015 by Owlkids Books and recently re-released in an updated edition in 2022.
The book has been recognized as an Amazon.com Teacher’s Pick for children ages 5-8 and provides an excellent introduction to world cultures and geography for early elementary students.
The story follows an unnamed young boy as he sets off on a journey to visit friends in 13 different countries that span all major regions of the world. The boy serves as the reader’s guide, taking us along as he experiences each country through the eyes of a local child.
In each location, he introduces us to his friend and then explores the country by participating in cultural events and ceremonies, viewing unique landmarks, trying local foods, observing wildlife, and more.
Along the way, he shares interesting facts about each country’s culture, language, food, geography, wildlife, landmarks and more. The authors seamlessly incorporate this educational content through the conversational narration.
With its simple writing, fact-filled sidebars, maps, and bright visuals, this book is engaging to young readers while still delivering substantive cultural and geographic content. The format makes digesting nonfiction topics approachable and fun for early elementary students.
About the Authors – Natalia Diaz and Melissa Owens
The writing duo of Natalia Diaz and Melissa Owens crafted the delightful narrative of “A Ticket Around the World.”
Natalia Diaz is a seasoned children’s book author with prior experience working in libraries and schools. She brings knowledge of how to craft compelling stories for young readers while seamlessly incorporating educational elements.
Melissa Owens is an elementary school teacher with a passion for making literacy fun and engaging for her students. She lent her expertise in finding ways to teach important skills like reading comprehension, research, and critical thinking through quality children’s literature.
Together, Diaz and Owens combine storytelling and teaching skills to create an informative adventure story that doesn’t feel like a lesson for young readers, but still delivers meaningful knowledge about world geography and culture.
The Book Follows a Young Boy’s Travels to 13 Different Countries
At the heart of “A Ticket Around the World” is the journey of the unnamed boy as he visits friends in 13 different countries across the world’s six populated continents.
Some of the 13 countries he visits include:
- Costa Rica
- India
- Morocco
- Greece
- Canada
- Brazil
- France
- Botswana
- China
- Philippines
- Australia
- United States
- Jordan
In each country, he is hosted by a local child who shows him the highlights of their home country. Through his travels, readers get a taste of what it would be like to truly visit each of these diverse locales.
The authors provide an immersive experience by having the boy participate in activities and cultural events during his visits. For example, in Australia he goes swimming in the Great Barrier Reef, in China he celebrates Chinese New Year, and in Brazil he canoes down the Amazon River.
These interactive experiences educate readers on what it’s like to visit different parts of the world in an engaging, narrative format.
Experience Diverse Cultures and Landmarks Through Vibrant Illustrations
A major part of what makes this informational book so engaging for young readers are the vivid, detailed illustrations by Kim Smith.
Using a playful, realistic illustration style, Smith brings each country to life through scenic landscapes, architecture, wildlife, cultural elements, and more. Everything from clothing to activities to food to geography is depicted in a way that feels authentic yet imaginative.
As readers journey through the pages, the illustrations allow them to truly visualize what it would be like to visit major landmarks like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Great Wall of China, koala bears in Australia, pygmy elephants in Botswana, and more.
The visuals add a whimsical warmth while also emphasizing cultural differences and geographic diversity. For example, a spread on India depicts crowded streets with tuk tuks, women in saris, and Hindu temples, while Australia showcases beaches, the Sydney Opera House, and the Outback.
Young readers can gain an appreciation for cultures around the world and familiarize themselves with global landmarks through these engaging, educational scenes. It feels like an imaginary trip made possible through each intricate, inviting illustration.
Learn Fascinating Facts About Each Country from the Boy’s Local Friends
While the illustrations provide visualization, the written content of “A Ticket Around the World” delivers substantive facts about each destination.
As the boy meets his local friend in each country, that child introduces the reader to fascinating details about their home. This information is seamlessly woven into the first-person narrative.
For example, when the boy visits Costa Rica, we learn from his friend Jorge that:
- Spanish is the official language, but many people also speak English.
- Costa Rica means “Rich Coast” and it lives up to its name with beautiful beaches along the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
- Costa Rica does not have an army and promotes peace.
- Many people live on coffee plantations and banana farms.
The local friends act as our tour guides, providing us with interesting cultural tidbits and geographic facts. Through their anecdotes and stories, we learn about topics like:
- The landscape, climate, and environmental features of each country
- Languages spoken
- Different ethnic groups and indigenous cultures
- Popular foods, holidays, and traditions
- National symbols, landmarks, and attractions
- Unique plants, animals, and wildlife
- Popular activities and recreation
Young readers come away from the book with a bank of knowledge about each destination – and it never feels like boring textbook material since the facts are seamlessly delivered through the fictional narrative!
Countries Featured in “A Ticket Around the World”
To recap, here is the full list of 13 countries explored in “A Ticket Around the World”:
- Costa Rica
- India
- Morocco
- Greece
- Canada
- Brazil
- France
- Botswana
- China
- Philippines
- Australia
- United States
- Jordan
What’s great about the various countries included is that they provide a diverse representation of cultures across six populated continents.
Readers learn about places that may be unfamiliar, like Botswana or the Philippines, as well as more well-known countries like France, China, and Australia. But even with the more familiar settings, fascinating new details are revealed.
By spotlighting this range of locales across regions like North and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, the book delivers a mini world geography course and helps showcase the diversity of how people live globally.
Through these 13 different windows into life around the world, young readers gain appreciation for cultures that may seem different on the surface but share common threads of humanity.
Engaging Content Brings Nonfiction to Young Readers
Authors Natalia Diaz and Melissa Owens found the perfect formula for crafting an informational children’s book that successfully engages young readers.
Instead of simply presenting dry facts and figures about world geography and culture, they wove substantive content into an imaginative first-person narrative.
By having readers experience these places through the eyes of a child, it becomes relatable and exciting. The conversational tone feels like listening to a friend share travel stories versus being lectured.
The authors also bring the nonfiction content to life by:
- Focusing each section around a specific country and local child guide
- Including interactive scenarios like attending a festival or going canoeing
- Sharing facts in brief, easily digestible sidebars
- Allowing vibrant illustrations to enhance understanding
Having an actual story structure with a main character facilitates learning because it feels like going along on an adventure versus sitting in class. The rhyme, repetition, and descriptive language also appeal to young listeners.
While the book introduces complex themes of world geography, culture, and diversity, the content is perfectly adapted for early elementary students. The authors found the ideal approach to make nonfiction not only accessible but highly engaging.
Geography Lessons Built into the Book’s Format
In addition to seamlessly incorporating factual information into the narrative storytelling, “A Ticket Around the World” also provides direct geography education by dedicating maps and imagery to each country.
Every few pages, readers encounter a spread that includes:
- A full page illustrative scene of the country showing cultural elements, landscape, architecture, animals, clothing, food, recreation, and landmarks.
- A small map of the country labeled with capital city, major landmarks, and bodies of water.
- A glimpse of the boy embarking on an activity in that location with his local friend.
Additionally, an overview world map at the beginning of the book shows each country’s location relative to the others.
These visual aids help reinforce geographic knowledge and show how countries relate to one another spatially across continents. Young readers can flip through and compare the different maps and illustrations side-by-side.
The book is designed so the right hand page is a story scene while the left page delivers the educational content. This formatting allows facts to be seamlessly delivered alongside the narrative.
Reviews Praise the Book’s Ability to Inspire Curiosity
“A Ticket Around the World” has earned widespread acclaim from readers and critics, especially for its ability to inspire curiosity among young audiences.
Here is a sampling of what reviewers have said about the engaging qualities of this informational picture book:
- “The book’s inviting design resembles a scrapbook, with small, fact-filled vignettes sprinkled across the pages… will undoubtedly inspire young armchair travelers.” — The National Reading Campaign
- “An excellent resource for classroom units on world cultures.” – Canadian Children’s Book News
- “The format easily invites comparisons and contrasts, and thought-provoking questions at the end will encourage additional critical thinking.” — Booklist
- “This informational picture book brings engaging nonfiction content to younger readers by showing them how other children just like them live around the world.” – ReadBrightly
- “Facts are incorporated into the page seamlessly, like a conversation between friends.” — CM: Canadian Review of Materials
It’s clear that Natalia Diaz and Melissa Owens succeeded in crafting an informative book that also captures young imaginations. While introducing important content about geography and culture, it sustains a sense of joy and adventure.
Perfect for Educators Looking to Teach About World Connections
In addition to casual readers, “A Ticket Around the World” is an excellent resource specifically for teachers and parents looking for tools to educate children about cultural awareness and global connections.
The book aligns well to curriculum for early elementary grades related to social studies, geography, and literature. Specific skills it reinforces include:
- Reading comprehension and analysis of informational texts
- Recognizing how people live in different parts of the world
- Identifying customs, languages, traditions, holidays, foods, etc. of various cultures
- Developing geographic knowledge of continents, countries, landmarks, etc.
- Making text-to-self and text-to-world connections
- Comparing and contrasting differences between cultures
- Researching topics introduced in the book for further learning
Because the content is delivered in such an engaging, story-like manner, it will hold student interest and enhance retention versus traditional textbooks or lectures. The text could be a jumping off point for activities like crafting visual aids about each country, trying traditional recipes at home, or researching other lands not featured in the book.
Teachers looking to introduce cultural and geographic concepts in the early grades would benefit from adding this title to their lesson plans!
Take an Imaginary Trip Around the Globe Without Leaving Home
At just over 30 pages, “A Ticket Around the World” manages to transport readers across the world – no passport required! Through 13 doors into how children just like them experience life in diverse nations, young readers gain exposure to different languages, foods, landscapes, traditions, wildlife and more.
Vibrant illustrations and a friendly first-person narrative make far-off places more relatable. Seamlessly woven factual details teach without feeling instructive. The book succeeds as a captivating adventure story with substantive lessons subtly incorporated.
While an actual around the world trip would be beyond the means of most families, this book makes global awareness possible from your living room. Armchair travelers can experience Costa Rica’s rainforests, India’s bustling cities, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and more without costly flights.
Authors Natalia Diaz and Melissa Owens have created the perfect first introduction to the world’s richness and diversity for early elementary students. If this book piques your child’s interest in a particular country, they can then seek out additional books or online resources to continue their learning journey.
For kids with curious minds and parents or teachers looking to expand cultural awareness, “A Ticket Around the World” is a delightful starting point before more in-depth geography studies. Take this memorable trip across continents today to instill an appreciation of diverse lands and people that will last a lifetime.
Key Takeaways from “A Ticket Around the World”:
- Takes readers ages 5-8 on an imaginary trip to 13 countries across 6 continents
- Follows a boy visiting friends and exploring each country’s culture
- Vibrant illustrations by Kim Smith bring each destination to life
- Seamlessly incorporates facts about language, food, geography, wildlife, and landmarks
- Provides maps and images to teach geography visually
- Engaging narrative nonfiction format appeals to young readers
- Inspires curiosity about world cultures and global connections
- Great educational resource for classrooms and families
- Allows readers to gain exposure to the world from home
