Best Children's Travel Books
Greg Heffley and his family hit the road in author-illustrator Jeff Kinney's latest installment of the phenomenal bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Will the Heffley family make it home?
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I checked my email and there was a purchase of this book that I didn't make. If anyone knows how to take off the one click purchase option on kindle PLEASE let me know."
"The ninth installment of the hilarious Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, The Long Haul features Greg and the rest of the Heffley family embarking on a road trip at the start of summer vacation. The Long Haul and the rest of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series fall under the genre of realistic fiction graphic novel, with both the writing and illustrations by Jeff Kinney. Though I would suggest this book for children in grades 4-7, it is funny enough and for parents or older siblings to enjoy as they read along. Because the drawings are just stick figures outlined in black, it is hard to tell whether multiple cultures and races are being represented."
"We loved this as a family."
"Whole series is great."
"My grandson finished this series in third grade and was disappointed when he had read them all and there wasn't something to look forward to."
"Great series-Introduced it to my teens years ago and passed them down to my 8 year old."
"fun story."
"My son love's these books."
This charming reference introduces young readers to the wider world by exploring languages, landscapes, weather, animals, capital cities, mountains, deserts, and other landscapes and landforms, and more. Elizabeth Carney is a children's writer and editor specializing in children's nonfiction.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Easy to read for young children."
"Very vibrant colors and so much information that my guys found interesting."
"Perfect educational, fun book for kids!"
"Great book, excellent like all the National Geographic Series."
"Beautiful and unique pictures even for adults not just children."
"Great for grandchildren, they enjoyed."
"Granddaughter spending countless hours reading and learning, thanks to this book I am 'The best Grampa ever"."
3 Journey
With supple line, luminous color, and nimble flights of fancy, author-illustrator Aaron Becker launches an ordinary child on an extraordinary journey toward her greatest and most exciting adventure of all.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Working with them on almost a day-to-day basis as a children's librarian, I did not doubt that my experience helped me to separate out the wheat from the chaff (so to speak). With its fine attention to detail and jaw-dropping storyline, Becker has created a modern day classic in the midst of an overpopulated genre. For my part, I’m just delighted that repeated one-on-one readings of books like this one yield all sorts of additional information and details that will help my reviewing. With her mom cooking and yakking on the phone, her dad glued to his computer and her older sister consumed by some kind of electronic handheld device, there’s no one to play with. But when the girl’s cat reveals itself to have been sitting on a bright red writing implement (is it a marker, a crayon, or chalk? A door is drawn on the wall of her room and passing through it instantly yields a glorious lantern lit world, replete with tall green trees and a meandering stream. When the girl draws a boat with which to explore the stream she is drawn into a massive water-driven city full of friendly residents, canals, and locks. An accidental slip over the side causes her to draw a hot air balloon and all is well until she spots a beautiful purple bird. Fortunately, things turn out well in the end and she finds that maybe in her humdrum drab little world at home there’s someone else there willing to share an adventure or two. When you turn the pages of the book and see the castle-like city for the first time with its golden domes and green parasol-carrying residents, it’s a jaw-dropper. I don’t know how many of you have taken the time to studiously watch the Nickelodeon hit animated television show, but in truth there’s a lot of “Avatar” to be found here. I don’t know how many authors and illustrators know this, but in my experience there are a lot of teachers out there who send their students into libraries to ask for wordless picture books. Take a kid from another country that has recently immigrated, hand them a wordless book, and watch as they find (much to their own relief) that they are able to “read” the text. There’s not a ton of diversity in this book, and I do prefer titles that aren’t afraid to show folks from a variety of different races. This struck me as a bit unfortunate, but upon closer examination I realized that I couldn’t tell the race of the girl either. Maybe I’m justifying everything, but it seems to me that Becker was trying more than anything else to have a bad guy who was easy to spot (note the golden helmet) and that looked different from the residents of the water-based city. Becker himself spent time in Japan, I believe, so it’s not out of the question that his art style might be affected, but I hardly think he’s guilty of playing on stereotypes. I was at a nice little shindig the other day, talking with librarians about picture books we think should win big awards and the subject of “Journey” came up. “Oh,” said a woman to me, “I love it, but one of my librarians had a real problem with the gun.” I blinked a little and then searched my memory banks. There is a scene in the book where the bad guy is seen from a distance, directing his two men to hand the captured purple bird in a cage. He is pointing at them, but the way Becker drew the image the hand takes on the shape of, yes, a teeny tiny gun. More to the point, if this guy was to carry a gun, a typical handgun wouldn't make a lick of sense."
"The inspired use of the brightly colored red and purple crayons/drawings in the book are eye-catching and unique and serve the tale well."
"It is a work of literature, stunning in its artistry, poetic in its imagery, minimalism, and allusions. It is, I would suggest, more a work of art, a collection of linked paintings that tell a story. Our main character (nameless), seeks refuge from her disconnected life in the adventures she creates with her red crayon. I really don't want to ruin the BRILLIANT (boy how I wish FB would let me italicize) twist ending, but I will say that this is so much more than an homage to HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON, it is an extension of it, a tribute to it, a joining of worlds. This is a book I would, as a teacher, work into units from kindergarten through graduate school."
"There's no text explaining the story, so this makes an ideal book to have a child "read" to you."
"The pictures tell the story, but there are no words, so you find your own words to tell the story."
"It's pretty simple: A young girl feels ignored by her family, so she creates a door to her own adventure. This book does pay homage to several books, most obviously Harold and the Purple Crayon, but I also saw traces of The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Phantom Tollbooth, 1001 Arabian Nights, and just about anything that Jules Verne wrote."
Best Children's Pirate Books
For the child who's curious to discover how mighty his own story can be. Invite your child to explore his creativity and discover how mighty the pen can be by diving deep into what sparks his interest. Katie Clemons is a storycatcher and award-winning journal crafter.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My son of 9 has this journal and we are both having lots of fun with it!"
"The pages have great text font and a variety of different designs. When the kid finishes the journal, he/she draws a map on the last page and actually hides the book! The quality of the book - the cover is matte, but feels very smooth."
"I got this for my 8 year old son as part of his writing practice in our homeschool."
"This is a really thoughtful journal full of activities and writing prompts designed just for your kiddo! It has a good mix of questions, identifying info for your child, spots for pictures, etc."
"The author clearly has a great creative mind and is passionate about helping kids record their stories. I hope that my daughter can enjoy using one of these in a few years, to spark her creative, wild, and adventurous - and dare I say tomboy?"
"This journal is so thoughtfully constructed and designed to help kiddos become self-reflecting, by guiding them through the process of recording their thoughts and the events they've experienced."
"The Time Capsule journal is a great way to preserve the precious and silly thoughts of childhood, and to give kids a chance to examine who they are and who they hope to become."
"Before my daughter (9) began this journal she was never excited to begin our school day, but now she looks forward to it each day."
Best Children's Royalty Books
In the tradition of Not All Princesses Dress in Pink and Princess in Black , Princesses Wear Pants follows the unflappable Princess Penelope Pineapple, who knows how to get the job done while staying true to herself. Unfortunately for Princess Penelope, not everyone in the Pineapple Kingdom thinks pants are always appropriate princess attire. Savannah Guthrie is the cohost of TODAY on NBC as well as an attorney and legal analyst.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Good story and a reminder not to judge too quickly."
"Trying to get our four year old to recognize that a princess isn’t about what she wears."
"The authors, Savannah Guthrie and Allison Oppenheim, have written a fun book for children with good lessons learned. Princess Penelope Pineapple lived with her brother Prince Philippe, their royal cat, Miss Fussywiggles, in a lovely castle. Adults will enjoy reading this book to their children.The children will be able to identify with Princess Penelope in her understanding of why and when it is necessary to wear pants."
"My 3 year old granddaughter loves this book."
"I really wanted to love this book, but I found the rhymes to be forced and the moral is also a bit of a stretch."
"Cute book & gave to my granddaughter for Christmas."
Best Children's Archaeology Books
But in a remarkable turn of fortune for Miss Sands's many fans, detectives have uncovered a second volume penned in her own hand — a course book on ancient Egyptian history and culture intended for the voyager's beloved niece and nephew. Dugald Steer has written many books for children including the best-selling DRAGONOLOGY and its companion, THE DRAGONOLOGY HANDBOOK, as well as the forthcoming WIZARDOLOGY. He has illustrated many books for children including the Smarties book Prize-winning FIREWORK MAKER'S DAUGHTER by Phillip Pullman. Helen has also written a number of successful children's books including THE TIN FOREST and THE DRAGON MACHINE, both illustrated by Wayne Anderson.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My kids got a lot of use out of this, and I learned a couple things myself."
"fabulous book with attention paid to detail!"
"Perfect companion to the Egyptology series."
"Exactly what any budding Egyptologist needs!"
"I love these 'ology' books!"
"The "ology" books are so fun."
"What greater way is there to get someone interested in Egypt's history than this?"
Best Children's Where We Live Books
This New York Times bestselling Nordic tale in the tradition of The Snowman, The Polar Express, and the many books of Jan Brett will have readers of all ages believing in the magic of Christmas. The full-page photographs look like they could be movie stills, so sharp and seamless are the figures that Anja and the animals cut against the winter landscape of Northern lights, glaciers, and snowy pine trees.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great book!"
"I have most all of Lori evert books and they are such a great story and the most beautiful pictures."
"Beautiful story."
"Beautiful story, great gift for adults and children alike."
"Sweet story, awesome photos."
"Such a Beautiful book!"
"Beautiful book to keep for years to come."
Best Children's Social Science Books
This book of maps is a visual feast for readers of all ages, with lavishly drawn illustrations from the incomparable Mizielinskis.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Ireland and Israel aren't in this book, but neither are Norway, Portugal, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine, Turkey and several other European countries, along with every central American country, all nations in the Caribbean, the Philippines, South and North Korea, Indonesia, most of Africa and many others I'm not going to list. It's funny to me that the absence of both Ireland and Israel were highlighted in the reviews, since both countries have an entire book devoted to them by Sasek."
"Purchased for the younger ones, and the teens couldn't put it down."
"Love this book, it’s like an educational where’s Waldo in that you can spend hours looking at all the picture details."
"European pages are packed with famous and semi-famous Europeans; African pages are packed with exotic animals."
"This was a gift for our grandson and He was thrilled with it!"
"i think i've bought six of these books, five as gifts: this is a beautifully designed, wonderfully executed atlas which is perfect for a bright and motivated child but perfect for not-so-bright or motivated adults who just love maps and atlases."
"It is, indeed, Maps."
"I do understand that not all countries can be shown on this book but at least one or two countries representing Central America, the Caribbean and the Middle East."
Best Children's Explore the World Books
Lively and information-packed, this book is literally busting its covers with fascinating, fun-tastic facts on super, sensational topics that kids love. "Filled with photographs, this beautifully designed book is organized into two-page spreads that each focus on a different topic, making it easy and fun to read."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"One of our favorite things about this book is how it has inspired questions and discussions between our children and my wife and I about various subjects."
"I gave this book to him for Christmas so we could both bone up on awesome facts--in fact, we read it often at bedtime, startling each other with one amazing piece of information after the other."
"I got this for my 10 year old son in hopes it would spark more reading and less electronics."
"Great Book!"
"He even tells me things that he has learned from reading this book."
"Bought this for a ten-year old for Christmas."
"I was surprised how big this book was."
"This is a well done book for any inquisitive young person."
Best Children's Multicultural Story Books
Brad Meltzer and illustrator Christopher Eliopoulos answer that question, one great role model at a time. And now you can buy the first four—Abraham Lincoln, Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, and Albert Einstein—together in a wonderfully designed slipcase that includes an exclusive, autographed print, suitable for framing. Christopher Eliopoulos began his illustration career as a letterer for Marvel, and has worked on thousands of comics, including Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius, Pet Avengers, and Cow Boy, all of which he wrote and illustrated.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"These books also have important character building lessons and are overall great books for kids."
"My 3, almost 4 year old, also loves them!"
"She likes how they are fun to read and talk about when they were kids too."
"I love history myself and will purchased this series for my grandchildren."
"A must for any child in your family, even my 13 year old loves them."
"Came in excellent condition."
"Love these books, my 5 year old listens intently and they prompt her to ask lots of good questions."
"These are my favorite books for children."
Best Children's Books on Immigration
When he was a young man, Allen Say’s grandfather left his home in Japan to explore the world. For years, Say continued writing and illustrating children's books on a part-time basis.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Short, easy to read text combined with beautifully simple illustrations tell the story of Mr. Say’s grandfather, who split his life between Japan and the United States, longing for both."
"I love reading this with my students who have all come from other country's and can relate to missing one country when you are in the other."
"But, overall, this is a great book."
"A great way to get children excited about reading, learning and discussing a variety of topics."
"I've bought several copies because I keep giving mine away as gifts to adults who I know will find it moving because they've experienced something similar."
"A beautiful story that so caringly follows the life of a Japanese immigrant who comes to the United States (but the story is a universal one).."
"This is a wonderful book to read with beautiful art work for a kindergartener to enjoy."
"I have lived overseas, so the story of a man who loves both Japan and America, and longs for America when he is in Japan and vice versa, really touched me."