Partnerships for Goals | United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #17

Heal The Earth by Julian Lennon

In this story, readers can interact with the book by pushing buttons on various pages to enter a magical White Feather Flier. The Flier takes them to various parts of the world to show them how climate change is impacting our planet and how we can work together to heal the Earth and the people who inhabit it.

This book is part of the White Feather Flier series that includes Love The Earth and Touch The Earth | Check out the Entire White Feather Flier Box Set

If The World Were a Village by David J. Smith

Understanding the scope of the global issues and breadth of the global community is really hard due to the size. This book imagines the world as one village with 100 members. It breaks down things like education, energy use, healthcare, and money in terms of a village of 100 instead of a world of 7 billion people. The book relies on actual data and studies but puts the world into a context more relatable for children (and all of us really).

Say Hello by Rachel Isadora

A simple hello makes such a difference. This book is great for all ages, including younger children, as it follows a girl around her neighborhood saying hello to all her neighbors in their respective languages. A simple hello can help us connect with people from all walks of life.

The World Needs More Purple People by Kristen Bell

Purple people are those that reach between blue and red (the colors that represent political parties in the United States) and bring together people who have different ideas and opinions. They bring their family, friends, and communities together, and they speak up for what’s right. They are kind and hardworking, and they love to laugh. A purple person is an everyday superhero! This book helps readers walk through the process of being a purple person and helps us all better understand each other, even those who have different beliefs from our own.

We’re Better Together: A Book About Community by Eileen Spinelli

We’re better together when we play together, when we make music, and when everyone pitches in. This celebration of coming together to solve problems, support communities, and honor everyone’s differences is perfect for young children who are learning about empathy and cooperation.

The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be by Joanna Gaines

The book follows a group of children as they each build their very own hot-air balloons. As the kids work together, leaning into their own skills and processes, to fill the sky with beautiful colors, readers see that life it’s more beautiful and vibrant when our differences are celebrated. The book also highlights how each person has different types of skills and strengths to contribute to the greatest good for everyone.

The Wall in the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee

A small soldier feels very safe on his side of the wall and assumes that the “other side of the wall” is full of bad and scary people. Eventually, however, his side of the wall becomes dangerous. The “scary” ogre on the other side of the wall reaches over to save him from the danger. It’s a great reminder for children that we might feel safe staying in our comfort zone. We might benefit, however, from reaching across the table to work together with the people who seem different from ourselves. 

Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers

The author starts with an interesting set of historical facts about the Statue of Liberty, but soon focuses on the statue’s right foot. Although most people never notice it, the Statue of Liberty is built to be in motion, moving forward. The author suggests we should pay more attention to her motion because it’s sending a great message. “Liberty and freedom from oppression are not things you get or grant by standing around like some kind of statue. No! These are things that require action. Courage. An unwillingness to rest.” We must work together and continue to do the work to achieve the liberty and freedom for all upon which we say our country was built. 

I’m An Immigrant Too by Mem Fox

Set in Australia, this rhyming story celebrates so many different families who live in Australia but hail from various parts of the world. Each character shares a snippet about why they ended up in Australia. The book concludes by focusing on why it’s important to share Australia with everyone and welcome others with open arms, no matter where they are from.

The All-Together Quilt by Lizzy Rockwell

A group of diverse community members comes together to make a quilt at the community center. They have so many different fabrics, colors, and input to the final product. In the end, the group creates something that is beautiful, warm, and lasting, much like the product of any shared effort when we come together as a community for good. 

Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea by Meena Harris

Based on a true story, the Harris sisters wanted to turn the unused courtyard in their apartment complex into a playground for the kids in their community. Despite being told ‘no’ many times, they persisted and worked together with many different people in their community to make the playground a reality. They organized a variety of people with different skills and access to resources to create a great play space for their family and their neighbors. Even though creating community areas might be a challenge, we can accomplish so much when we organize and work together.

Melia and Jo by Billy Aronson

Two little girls, one who loves science and one who loves art and dancing, accidentally discover that they make a great team as innovators. This is such a fun story about how people who seem so different on the surface can make such a great team.

If The World Were 100 People: A Visual Guide To Our Global Village by Jackie McCann

With almost 7.8 billion people sharing the earth, it can be a little hard to picture what the human race looks like all together. But if we could shrink the world down to just 100 people, what could we learn about the human race? What would we look like? Where and how would we all be living? This book answers all these questions and more!

Reliably sourced and deftly illustrated, If the World Were 100 People is the perfect starting point to understanding our world and becoming a global citizen. If we focus on just 100 people, it’s easier to see what we have in common and what makes us unique. Then we can begin to appreciate each other and also ask what things we want to change in our world.