ABSTRACT
Cultural diversity can be a novel concept for many. Understanding and accepting differences, which is at the core of critical literacy, can be strenuous for students when they are being brought up in predominantly homogenous environments. Global literature is an important resource for challenging these views and exploring interculturalism, because it provides an opportunity for children to go beyond check entitya tourist perspective in which they gain only surface information about another country. It is found that creating the spaces to read global literature about the wider world and then taking the time to talk about meaningful issues can allow the students to become more powerful and more purposeful, more informed and intelligent, more aware, and more free in their thinking. Global books, and talking about these books, inspire this re-envisioning. Global literature teaches children tolerance and respect for others, creates pride in different cultural heritages, and encourages empathy by showing children how human emotions and feelings are universal.
