Travel & Tourism

Five Children’s Books for Armchair Traveling

TRAVEL & MAP BOOKS FOR KIDS

– A ROUNDUP-

I love everything about travel, the new sights, smells, tastes, and sounds. And getting there is also a big part of the excitement. But right now, staying home during the pandemic means we have to find other ways to get that thrill. There are travel programs and international webcams to watch, online museums to visit, and best of all, there are books to read. Take advantage of the variety of books that kids of all ages can enjoy for unique vicarious experiences. I hope you’ll share these books so that, while at home, your children can adventure both near and far simply by turning a page.

 

 

TinyTravelers INDIA cvrTINY TRAVELERS TREASURE QUEST: INDIA
Written by Steven Wolfe Pereira + Susie Jaramillo
Illustrated by Meiyee Tan + Abigail Gross
(Encantos; $12.99, Ages 3-6)

Help your kids become global citizens by introducing them to a vast array of fascinating destinations in this fabulous board book series. The 28-pages in Tiny Travelers Treasure Quest: India provide an engaging illustrated journey into the heart of India. My first trip to India was over 30 years ago and yet that trip has remained with me all these years because of the scenic beauty, the delicious food, the warm, welcoming people, and the majesty of the monuments such as the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort. Kids, parents, teachers, and librarians will love how the book is filled with facts about the “language, history, food, nature, music, and more,” in every colorful spread. There’s a seek-and-find element woven into the text that parents can choose to play with their children during the first reading, or return to the next time. Top that off with the rhyming prose, “Bollywood movies / are one of a kind. / They have dancing, singing / and costumes combined!” and kids will be hooked. Find more info and books in the series including China, Mexico, Puerto Rico at TinyTravelers.com.

MyFirstBookofLondon coverMY FIRST BOOK OF LONDON
Written and illustrated by Ingela P. Arrhenius
(Walker Books U.S.; $18.99, Ages 3-7)

Covering 15 topics, My First Book of London, a large-format picture book, is just one title in this fun series that combines vibrant graphic illustrations, brief narrative and simple words to give an overview of the most well-known attractions and things to do in this beloved city. I actually laughed out loud when on the first spread I saw that for Buckingham Palace not only was Queen Elizabeth II included, but also a Corgi! I wasn’t quite sure why a fire engine was featured, (must look that up) but I’m glad that the “flag-waving crowd” and “Changing of the Guard” were depicted. Arrhenius has zeroed in on London’s museums, too, one of my favorite things about this city. There is a museum for everyone’s interests, from the famed British Museum with its mummy collection to the V&A Museum (Victoria & Albert), my personal fave. Use the book as a dictionary, as a seek-and-find book, or simply as a wonderful way to get familiar with what makes this English city so popular.

LuluandRockyinIndianapolis cvrLULU AND ROCKY IN INDIANAPOLIS
Written by Barbara Joosse
Illustrated by Renée Graef
(Sleeping Bear Press; $16.99, Ages 4-8)

The fourth book in this beautifully illustrated U.S. travel series is Lulu and Rocky in Indianapolis, informational fiction that is part story, part travelogue, and 100% interesting! The books all feature fox cousins, main characters Lulu and Rocky, and their penguin pal Pufferson. There is a welcome consistency in how each story begins the same way making it easy to read the books out of order. First readers get a sneak peek at Aunt Fancy composing a letter, then comes a map of the featured city (in this Indiana’s state capital), followed by Lulu receiving the purple envelope in which Aunt Fancy invites her to bring Pufferson to meet up with Rocky at the destination. Once together the trio embarks on an adventure in a different city that will make you want to pack your bags and hit the road to join them. Kids’ll discover that there is so much more to the “Hoosier’s paradise” than the famed motor race. In the backmatter’s two-paged “More to Know” section, each attraction visited is described in more detail so you can plan a future trip to Indy. Make sure to include the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the largest children’s museum in the world!

50MapsoftheWorld cover50 MAPS OF THE WORLD
Written & researched by Kalya Ryan and Ben Handicott
Illustrated by Sol Linero
(Wide Eyed Editions; $30, Ages 7-10)

Another picture book for armchair travelers is the detailed 50 Maps of the World, recommended for tweens. Not your mother’s atlas, this large-format book is an easy way for kids to connect with our world through travel, culture, historical and current famous personalities, geography and animals without leaving home. There is a helpful intro so kids know what to expect before diving in. What I love about this book is not just how good it feels to hold in your lap, but I also appreciate how much info has been packed into every page so there are multiple ways to approach it. Take South Africa for example. Sometimes you may pick up the book to learn the key facts about its largest cities, population, official languages, etc. Other times you may want to find out about its natural attractions such as Hole in the Wall, Tugela Falls, or Kruger National Park. You can even study a timeline or discover who once called this country home such as Elon Musk, cricketer De Villiers, Nelson Mandela, inventor Thato Kgatlhanye, or actress Charlize Theron.

Cities in Layers coverCITIES IN LAYERS: Six Famous Cities Through Time
Written by Philip Steele
Illustrated by Andrés Lozano
(Big Picture Press; $22.00, Ages 8-12)

What makes Cities in Layers so cool and accessible is how it takes kids back in time to two previous eras in history per city in addition to the present time via fact-filled pages, bright visual maps, as well as info about people who lived there. There’s even a cleverly designed “die-cut  element,” that “allows readers to really peel back layers of time.” This visually appealing large-format, 64-page picture book will delight tweens as they see the changes in the six famous cities unfold right before their eyes. Starting with an intro and a timeline, the book then covers Rome, Italy; Istanbul, Turkey; Paris, France; Beijing, China; London, U.K.; and New York City, U.S.A. Cities in Layers would be the perfect companion to stories from those time periods. When looking at London from 1863, kids could learn about authors from the Victorian era, or they could read about the Great Depression when checking out the map of NYC from 1931. What’s interesting is that Steele has chosen different centuries to focus on for each city so while the pages for Paris zero in on 1380, 1793, and today, the section on Istanbul covers 550 ce, 1616 as well as the present day.  A two-page spread at the end ponders what future cities will look like while addressing population growth, the scarcity of resources, and technology. This fascinating read combines history, maps, architecture, and progress with its unique perspective that will no doubt spark interesting discussions.

Also, check out these other books:

OUR WORLD: A First Book of Geography
Written by Sue Lowell Gallion
Illustrated by Lisk Feng
(Phaidon; $18.95, Ages 2-5)

A read-aloud introduction to geography for young children that, when opened and folded back, creates a freestanding globe.

 

 

Maps DeluxeEdition coverMAPS: Deluxe Edition
Written and illustrated by Aleksandra Mizielinska & Daniel Mizielinski
(Big Picture Press; $50, Ages 10 and up)

Discover the world in this updated edition of the beloved bestseller,
featuring twenty-four all-new maps. A great large-format book for budding cartophiles and travel enthusiasts.

 

 

 

 

BIGFOOT VISITS THE BIG CITIES OF THE WORLD
Written and illustrated by D. L. Miller
(Little Fox; $14.99, All Ages)

A seek-and-find challenge for the whole family!

 

 

 

Looking for more Around the World books to share with your children? Check out the Pinterest board from Candlewick by clicking here: https://www.pinterest.com/candlewickpress/around-the-world/

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Children’s Activity Book – This Is How I Do It

THIS IS HOW I DO IT:

One Day in the Life of You
and 59 Real Kids from Around the World

Written and illustrated by Matt Lamothe

(Chronicle Books; $12.99, Ages 5-8)

 

 

 

This Is How I Do It  by Matt Lamothe is a great activity book to open kids’ eyes to the lives of children around the world and get them thinking about their own. Following the success of his picture book, This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World, Lamothe was inspired by how one teacher in particular in Fiji was using the book to have children document their lives. The result is this unique activity book that focuses on different aspects of 59 real children’s lives from countries as varied as America to Vietnam, Bangladesh to Uruguay. 

 

This Is Me int
Interior illustration from This Is How I Do It written and illustrated by Matt Lamothe, Chronicle Books ©2019.

 

This hands-on 56-page book not only documents almost 60 kids’ lives from around the globe, but it provides an opportunity for young readers to get introspective and fill in the blanks about their daily life (when not in a pandemic). There’s even a die-cut opening in the cover, an inviting feature for children to put in a picture of themselves or draw one. Kids will also find the cool looking postcards and stickers in the back matter appealing for use in their own artwork or on the postcards Lamothe’s designed. A bonus is a fold-out map both in color and labeled with all the countries covered in the book. There’s also a blank map kids can fill in with the names of the places where they’ve visited, lived or want to see in the future. Parents or teachers might want to share with kids/students the website www.thisishowwedoitbook.com where “great resources for communicating with other kids” can be found.

 

Who I Live With int
Interior illustration from This Is How I Do It written and illustrated by Matt Lamothe, Chronicle Books ©2019.

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From the very beginning of the book, in the “This is me,” illustration, Lamothe welcomes readers into the book with the warm faces of four international children. This is followed by a spread of “Hello” labels featuring the greeting shown in different languages from China, Kenya, Ukraine, Israel, Ethiopia, Iraq, and Greece. Readers will see different types of housing, beautiful views from out the windows, as well as assorted clothing the kids wear, what they eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, how they get around, where they learn, who their teachers are, how their food is cooked, and what they get up to in the evening.

I like that the examples given are never boring, sometimes unexpected, and always thought provoking. In “This is how I get around” children learn that Lurongdeji, from China, “lives with his mom and grandmother, who are both farmers. They use a modified motorcycle to get around.” The front is a motorcycle, but the back has been altered into an open truck bed for carrying crops, tools, animals or whatever! In a mouthwatering spread titled “This is a fruit or vegetable that grows near me,” I was surprised to see a picture of a red seaweed called dulse that is dried and eaten as a snack on the west coast of Ireland. My favorite illustration would have to be the one showing some favorite books read around the world with blank lines for kids to fill in with their favorite book, too. It’s nice that Lamothe ends the tour with bedtime and the places where some of the children in the story sleep at night. But this is anything but a bedtime book. It’s ideal for daytime reading and dreaming and will definitely give children stuck indoors a chance for interesting armchair travel.

  • Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

Click here to read Dornel Cerro’s review of This Is How We Do It.

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Around the World With Children’s Books

THREE BOOKS FOR KIDS
TO PIQUE THEIR CURIOSITY ABOUT TRAVEL

Littleland Around the World Littlelandcvr.jpg
By Marion Billet
(Nosy Crow; $14.99; ages 2-5)

The cute creatures of Littleland are getting ready to travel. First, they must make sure they have everything they need, such as a camera, suitcase, umbrella, and sun hat. Next, they’re off to 14 countries to explore and learn.

This country is called the Netherlands. It is famous for its pretty windmills and colorful flowers. People here often bicycle to work and school. It’s windy today! Hold on to your hats, little ones! /This is the beautiful city of Venice in Italy. Here, they have canals, so people can travel around in boats instead of cars! In Italy, people often eat pizza for lunch. Do you like pizza, too? /Now the little ones are going to see a magnificent building called the Taj Mahal. They are in India, where it is very hot! There are all sorts of ways of traveling in India—some people even ride elephants! /The little ones have arrived in China just in time to join a festival! The dragon is dancing to the music! How many people are inside the costume?

The language is age appropriate with just enough information for growing minds. The digitally created illustrations are bright, eye catching and filled with iconic landmarks. Each spread features nine “can you see?” cultural items, such as flags, for little eyes to find. For example, the United Kingdom has a red phone booth, Australia has a boomerang, Japan has a teapot, Egypt has a pyramid, and Finland has a sleigh.

Littleland Around the World is a great book for your children to start learning about the world.

 

ChildrensActivityAtlascvr.jpgChildren’s Activity Atlas: An Interactive & Fun Way to Explore Your World
Written by Jenny Slater and illustrated by Katrin Wiehle and Martin Sanders
(Sterling Children’s Books; $16.95; ages 5-9)

Children’s Activity Atlas: An Interactive & Fun Way to Explore Your World is filled with tons of information for older children. A “how to use the atlas” introduction explains the keys to the maps and biomes, how a world map is made, and how to use a grid reference. The book’s twelve sections cover North America, South America, Northern Africa, Southern Africa, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Russia and Eurasia, Middle East and South Asia, China and Eastern Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and the Arctic and Antarctica. Each section includes a description and a map of the area, flags of the region, a fact file of the largest mountain range, country, desert, lake, and longest river, and a highlighted topic, such as the Amazon rainforest, oil production, tea plantation, and volcanoes.

Northern Africa: The scorching hot Sahara Desert covers most the northern part of Africa. There is very little rain here and water is hard to find. Many desert people are nomads who move from place to place to find food and water. Most people in this part of Africa live in cities along the coasts or in the great Nile river valley, where the soil is rich enough to grow cotton, rice, vegetables, and fruit. South of the Sahara there is more rain, so farmers here grow cocoa, groundnuts, and coconuts. The section includes a six-step explanation of where chocolate comes from.

The book includes an index and over 250 stickers of flags, landmarks, and animals. Six pre-filled postcards from the continents and a passport are also included. Children’s Activity Atlas: An Interactive & Fun Way to Explore Your World is a useful text for learning more about the continents and their inhabitants and resources.

 

Hudson in Provence: A Paris-Chien Adventure
By Jackie Clark Mancuso
(La Librairie Parisienne; $17.95; ages 3-7)

Hudson in Provence: A Paris-Chien Adventure is a tale of a dog, Hudson, who along with his owner, leave the heat of Paris and head out to the beautiful countryside. Their adventure begins with their stay in an old stone house in the middle of a vineyard. Provence is a magical place. My book says artists come here to paint because it’s so beautiful. And the Provençal dogs work. I want to do what they do, so I can feel the magic.

Hudson is curious and he meets a lot of canine friends. Gaston is a border collie who herds sheep. Hudson tries, but the sheep aren’t so easy to move. Philippe is a truffle hunter! “Truffles are smelly mushrooms that grow underground near trees. They’re delicious! I have been specially trained to sniff them out because people like them too.” Hudson tries, but finding truffles isn’t as easy as eating them. Hudson and his owner watch the Tour de France. It’s exciting, but the cyclists are too fast and Hudson can’t keep up. What can he do to be a Provençal dog? Of course, he can paint like the artists who find inspiration! So he begins to paint doggy portraits, is busy for the next month, and holds an art show.

Hudson in Provence is a fun way to learn about French culture. French phrases are aptly woven into the story, and are an easy, contextual way to learn basic words. The book features a handy glossary (or le petit dictionnaire) with translation and pronunciation. The artwork is in the style of gouache paintings, and it matches the feel of the book perfectly. You can enjoy the book trailer at vimeo.com/120236763.

– Reviewed by Rita Zobayan

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The Inside-Outside Book of London by Roxie Munro

The Inside-Outside Book of London
by Roxie Munro
(Universe Publishing; $14.95, Ages 4 and up)

InsideOutsideBookofLondon-cvr.jpg

With the publication of this new edition of The Inside-Outside Book of London first published 25 years ago, you may recognize the work of artist Roxie Munro whose illustrations have graced more than a dozen New Yorker magazine covers and filled numerous children’s books. And for those of you who regularly follow this blog, you’ll know I’m quite partial to all things English having lived in London over 6 1/2 years. In fact my son was born there. This summer we’ll be crossing the pond for the first time in nine years and I can’t wait. Thanks to Munro’s wonderfully realized love letter to London in the form of detailed exterior and interior illustrations, I know everything I want to return to once again, this time with a teenage son in tow who barely remembers all the landmarks of his early years.

BritishMuseum-int-spread.png
© The Inside-Outside Book of London by Roxie Munro, Universe Publishing, 2015. All illustrations © Roxie Munro.

 

BritishMuseumMummies-int-spread.png
© The Inside-Outside Book of London by Roxie Munro, Universe Publishing, 2015. All illustrations © Roxie Munro.

Whether you’re an Anglophile hankering for a taste of London with its abundance of amazing architecture, or someone eager to simply see this capital city’s highlights from the comfort of your couch, this picture book is for you. Share the sights of the former Londinium with your kids. They’ll be impressed with its rich history found in every corner of town.

A city full of bridges spanning the width of the winding Thames river, London comes alive in the 40 pages of The Inside-Outside Book of London as we tour Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral. There are stops at the British Museum (one of my faves) with the famed mummy collection dating back thousands of years plus a peek inside Waterloo Station, the original home to the Eurostar International rail service now located at St. Pancras. It’s great that we get to go inside all the buildings because so frequently a visitor’s impression comes merely from the exterior. Although I must admit, there is nothing more fun than a first glimpse of London from atop a bright red double decker bus so I’m quite glad Munro’s included this in our virtual vacation.

LondonDoubleDeckerbus-int-spread.png
© The Inside-Outside Book of London by Roxie Munro, Universe Publishing, 2015. All illustrations © Roxie Munro.
IntofLondonDoubleDeckerbus.png
© The Inside-Outside Book of London by Roxie Munro, Universe Publishing, 2015. All illustrations © Roxie Munro.

Of course for many, no trip to London is complete without shopping. So continue your journey on the bus to ride down the distinctly curved Regent Street, perhaps making a stop at Hamley’s toy store, and other well-known shops like Burberry’s before arriving at Trafalgar Square. Later, in the City, actually the oldest part of London, climb upstairs to the Whispering Gallery of St. Paul’s Cathedral, built by Sir Christopher Wren in 1666, and see if the rest of the family can hear what you whisper from the other side, “112 feet away.”

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© The Inside-Outside Book of London by Roxie Munro, Universe Publishing, 2015. All illustrations © Roxie Munro.
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© The Inside-Outside Book of London by Roxie Munro, Universe Publishing, 2015. All illustrations © Roxie Munro.

 

If you’ve enjoyed this visit as much as I’ve loved sharing it, you and your family will delight in the pleasures Munro’s illustrations convey. From Big Ben in Westminster all the way to Tower Bridge, the best places to see when traveling to London, are at your fingertips to behold.

-Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

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