Travel, for a child, is mostly waiting. It is the middle of the drive, the gate at the airport, the hours standing between here and the place everyone promised would be worth it. And then it is the opposite: a train that smells like nothing at home, a market in a language nobody can read, a map with your own small town printed on it. Children’s books are unusually good at both halves — the boredom and the astonishment — and the best of them will do some of the traveling for a reader who has not been anywhere yet.
Bookroo’s collection of 1,150 travel books runs from board books about London and Paris to atlases, national park guides, road-trip novels, and graphic memoirs of a first trip abroad, so our editors chose twelve that earn their place in a suitcase or on a classroom shelf. The shortlist leads with the car-ride standby, the geography books worth owning, and the guide for a family with a real itinerary, then runs through the middle-grade road trips that are funny and true. After that, browse the age shelves for board books about cities and things that go, picture books about going somewhere, and chapter books long enough to survive a flight.
A car trip gets so boring that time itself begins to sag, and the book turns upside down to prove it.
Fifty-two hand-drawn country maps, each crowded with food, animals, buildings, games, and famous names.
Seven real children in Italy, Japan, Iran, India, Peru, Uganda, and Russia move through one ordinary day, side by side on the page.
Twenty-one national parks, each with its landscape, its wildlife, and the things worth walking to.
Nine people, one Winnebago, and two thousand miles from California to Mexico to bring Abuelito home.
Coyote and her father have lived on a converted school bus for five years, and she has three days to steer it back to Washington.
The Heffleys attempt one wholesome family road trip; a seagull, a pig, and a great deal of highway have other plans.
A bullied eighth grader boards a plane for three weeks in Europe and discovers he can be somebody else abroad.
A family rides the brand-new transcontinental railroad from Omaha to Sacramento in the summer of 1869.
A lone traveler rides north through European countryside and towns, and the reader is left to notice everything he doesn’t.
The market is closed, so the only sensible plan is to collect the ingredients from Italy, France, Sri Lanka, and Jamaica.
A tiny snail with an itch to see the world hitches a ride on the tail of a humpback whale.
London, Paris, and New York small enough to hold, plus national parks, trains, and boats — sturdy enough to live in a diaper bag, ages 0–4.
Discover the world's greatest explorers in a vibrant journey for young adventurers.
A little bear explores the world, from school to space, always on the move.
Discover the colorful world of planes in action.
Explore the world by learning to say 'Hello' in 10 languages.
Explore London's iconic sights through vibrant illustrations in this engaging board book.
Discover 'I love you' in ten languages, uniting hearts worldwide.
Embark on a train journey exploring iconic landmarks around the world.
Explore world monuments through touch in this tactile learning adventure.
Embark on a train journey exploring cities and wildlife with your little one.
Two friends sail to the world's end, discovering home is where the heart is.
Explore New York City through a child's eyes, from iconic landmarks to hidden gems.
Discover shapes hidden in Paris's iconic landmarks.
Family trips, first maps, city visits, journeys by boat and rail, and stories about waking up somewhere new — ages 3–8.
Join a safari adventure to uncover wild animal secrets with the Cat in the Hat.
Embark on a journey with friends to discover magical worlds beyond your doorstep.
Jo must conquer her fear of the sea to deliver mail and discover new adventures.
A boy discovers a map's power to nourish his imagination beyond hunger.
Discover London's iconic sights through charming illustrations and playful text.
Two children explore an abandoned house, uncovering its mysterious past.
Explore London's iconic sights from A to Z with hidden surprises.
Embark on a global adventure uncovering unique surprises in cities worldwide.
A young girl suspects a mysterious hotel guest is a supervillain. Is she right, or is there more to the story?
Spider-Man's European vacation turns into an unexpected adventure. What surprises await him abroad?
A yarn ball's adventure reveals the joy of exploration and the warmth of home.
An innkeeper dreams of adventures beyond his hotel, longing for distant journeys.
Road trips, train mysteries, expeditions, shipwrecks, and first journeys abroad for independent readers ages 7–11.
A hidden life in a Paris station unravels with a cryptic message.
A young explorer uncovers a family secret that threatens his future at an elite academy.
A bear from Peru turns a family's life upside down with his whimsical adventures.
A library prank spirals into a quest to uncover a ghost and a missing stamp collection.
A young girl navigates a new town and a new life with the help of a stray dog she adopts.
A boy's cross-country journey to spot birds may heal his fractured family.
A bird and a squirrel embark on a journey to the south, facing various obstacles and challenges along the way.
A ten-year-old is off exploring the parts of the ship he isn't supposed to be in when the Titanic hits the ice.
A girl races to save her brother from a mysterious threat in a world of mythical creatures.
Danny lives with his father in a caravan behind a filling station, and thinks he knows everything about him.
A boy's quest to launch his iPod into space uncovers family secrets.
A girl's journey reveals secrets and a quest to find her missing mother.
