We are often asked for recommendations for great travel books for children. My kids truly love seeing new places and all enjoy reading fiction and nonfiction books about places we have visited or are on our never ending “list.” My kids have had a love of travel and books from a young age, so books about travel have always been popular at my house. We are regulars and our local libraries, and my children used to attend multiple story times each week before preschool. My four year old is an emerging reader and can sit for hours listening to stories. My eight and eleven year old boys spend hours cuddled up in their beds turning pages of their current book.
We have come across quite a few books that inspire us to visit new places or help us reminisce about recent trips. Our list of best travel books for kids includes a range of reading levels and interests.
Best Travel Picture Books
#1: 13 Architects Children Should Know
13 Architects Children Should Know is part of the 13 Things Children Should Know book series, which has truly inspired our travel experiences. We were first introduced to these books when my middle child brought home 13 Architects Children Should Know from his school’s library as a Kindergarten student. He closely examined every page and was excited to find Christopher Wren’s St. Paul’s Cathedral that we had visited in London the summer before. But, the two architects he was most interested in were Gustave Eiffel and Frank Lloyd Wright.
He was not at all familiar with Frank Lloyd Wright before reading 13 Architects Children Should Know but fascinated by pictures of Fallingwater. He had no idea where Fallingwater might be in proximity to our home, but asked me after I finished reading the description, “Mommy, will you take me there?” Fallingwater happens to be just a three hour drive from our home in Cleveland, and I readily promised him that we would plan a trip. Within six months, we toured Fallingwater with my college roommate and her daughter, and my six year old son had a permanent smile on his face the whole time. After checking Fallingwater off his bucket list, my son focused his efforts on the Eiffel Tower for two years until we took a family trip to Paris. – CMD
Maurice Sendak’s 1963 Where the Wild Things Are has inspire young travelers for more than 50 years. Young Max dreams he is visiting an island inhabited by enormous beasts. After playing with the “wild things”, Max decides to return home for dinner. This classic does not include an actual destination or weave in historical, cultural or artistic concepts. However, it embodies the desire explore new places and then head home to recharge. – CMD
#3: Paddington
Paddington Bear first appeared in Michael Bond’s 1958 A Bear Called Paddington. Paddington is a bear from Peru who is adopted by the Brown family after they meet him in London’s Paddington station. The book series includes over 20 books, and several television and film adaptations. Paddington, the 1998 reissue of the classic story, is a frequent bedtime story for my four year old daughter. She has a vague recollection of our 2015 visit to London, which included a train ride from Kings Cross station and double decker buses that are also featured in this children’s picture book.
All three of my children also enjoy watching the recent film adaptations, Paddington and Paddington 2. The films feature well-known London hot spots, including the National Museum of Natural History, Portobello Road, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Notting Hill and Paddington Station. The Paddington books and films remind my children of their time in London but can serve as inspiration for travel to London. – CMD
Before our family trip to Italy in July 2018, I requested Olivia Goes to Venice from our local library to introduce our daughter to Venice. Olivia is a young pig who is always ready for adventure, and this 2010 book features Olivia’s spring break trip to Venice. Author and illustrator Ian Falconer combines illustrations with photographs of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, Doge’s Palace, the Grand Canal, St. Mark’s Basilica, the Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs. Olivia enjoyed a gondola ride and chasing pigeons in St. Mark’s Square just like our daughter.
Olivia Goes to Venice introduced our daughter to the canals and buildings that we saw in Venice. Now, she enjoys reading the book and remembering our time in the City of Canals. – CMD
Andrea Lynn Beck’s Good Morning Canada is an excellent introduction to Canada for any child. Our copy was gifted to us by one of our children’s favorite nannies who left us and moved to Saskatchewan. This 2014 picture book features Canadian landscapes and national classics, including the Mounties, maple trees, hockey and common animals such as the beaver, moose and goose. Our copy is extra special because our former nanny annotated it with sticky notes. – CMD
James Mayhew’s Katie and the Mona Lisa features the story of Katie and her grandmother visiting the Louvre. Katie is entranced with Mona Lisa’s smile. In the 1998 picture book, Katie is walks right up to the Mona Lisa and while she is examining the painting, she notices her grandmother has fallen asleep on her comfortable chair at the end of the gallery and climbs into the frame and into the picture where she finds Mona Lisa seated in the corner of a grand room. Mona Lisa is sad because she is very lonely, so Katie takes her out of the picture and back into the museum. The pair climb inside several different paintings in the Louvre. Mona Lisa enjoys their adventure so much that she assures Katie she now has something to smile about inside her painting.
This book definitely takes some artistic license to teach children about Renaissance art. The depiction of the Louvre is completely unrealistic, and the other paintings included are not actually exhibited in the Louvre. The size and location of the Mona Lisa are completely wrong, and the painting is hidden behind bullet proof glass and protected by a handful of guards. Even with a bit of fantasy thrown in, this book is still a fabulous introduction to Italian Renaissance for even the youngest artists. – CMD
Rome Reconstructed is a gem we found in the gift shop of the Basilica of Saint Mary in Cosmedin in Rome. Our eight year old picked it up and asked if it could be his souvenir. This archeological guide uses cardboard flaps overlaid on top of pictures of existing structures to depict the original Roman buildings, most of which are at least 2,000 years old. These layered illustrations really help kids visualize what ancient Rome looked like.
After we visited Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, our children focused on the portions of the book featuring these sights. The short descriptions of each building are easy to read and provide informative historical information about each sight. We are heavy library users and typically only buy books that we think will be read again and again. However, we are glad that we added this book to our personal collection and know our kids will enjoy the pictures and explanations for years to come. – CMD
Best Travel Chapter Books
#8: Harry Potter
The Harry Potter series is hands down one of the most delightful reading experiences I have ever shared with my children. When my older son was in second grade, I wanted to encourage him to read and so I urged him to start reading the Harry Potter series. To sweeten the pot, I agreed to read along with him and further agreed that we would watch the companion movie after he finished each book in the series AND that we would go to Universal Studios Orlando upon completion of the series. Much to my surprise, my son not took on the challenge, but he ended up voraciously reading through the Harry Potter series and we ended up having a fantastic weekend exploring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter the following October. – NKC
My boys also devoured the Harry Potter series last year while I followed along listening to the audio books. While we have not visited Universal Studios, the London locations specifically reminded us of our 2015 trip to London. Filming locations for the companion movies include St. Paul’s Cathedral, Millennium Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, and the iconic telephone booths are also featured. – CMD
#9: Island of the Blue Dophins
Anyone who didn’t attend fourth grade in California probably has not heard of the Island of the Blue Dolphins, a sad yet beautiful story about a young Indian girl who ends up spending 18 years alone on an island before she is rescued by Spanish missionaries. I won’t spoil the details, but the girl-turned-woman ended up living her life at the Santa Barbara Mission. Having read and fallen in love with the book at a young girl, I not only made Santa Barbara Mission a point of interest to visit once I was older and could dictate my travel schedule, but I have now also introduced family and friends to the Santa Barbara Mission and shared with them the story of the Indian girl buried on the grounds. I’m thrilled that my son is in fourth grade and will be reading this book later this year. – NKC
#10: Percy Jackson
My eight year old son recently discovered Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, which features the adventures of a Percy Jackson, young demigod who lives in New York City. Percy discovers at age 12 that he is the son of Poseidon. He and his friends have an odyssey that takes them around the United States of their own that spans over the five Percy Jackson books and then extends into Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series. The series intertwines the stories of Greek mythology with Percy’s quest to save modern civilization. Some cities featured in the series include New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas. Not surprisingly, Athens is now on my son’s bucket list. – CMD
These are some of our to 10 travel inspiration books for our kids. What family favorite books have we missed?
