A love of travel can be nurtured in children without leaving home. Simply give them a copy of any of the books below and your youngsters will be instantly transported into exciting worlds of travel and adventure – and left with a yearning to have adventures of their own.
1. Oh, The Places You’ll Go – Dr Seuss
1. Oh, The Places You’ll Go – Dr SeussIn this classic Seussian fable, the good doctor primes his readers against all the little mishaps and misadventures that can befall even the best of us – as well as enticing young travellers with exciting tales of the people and places that lay waiting for them to discover. The perfect love letter from a travel-loving parent to their off-spring.
2. The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
2. The Hobbit – JRR TolkienIn which a reluctant traveller is dragged off on a grand adventure against his will, encounters magical lands and exotic people, and returns addicted to travel. Sound familiar? Subtitled, There and Back Again, The Hobbit is an exciting epic of travel and magical adventure that will get your youngsters pining for the open road.
3. Maps – Aleksandra Mizielinska
3. Maps – Aleksandra MizielinskaThis book of maps is a visual feast for readers of all ages, with lavishly drawn illustrations that show not only borders, cities, rivers, and peaks, but also places of historical and cultural interest, eminent personalities, iconic animals and plants, cultural events and fascinating facts associated with every region.
Great for planning where to go and what to see on your next family adventure.
4. Tintin in Tibet – Hergé
4. Tintin in Tibet – HergéTintin's comic-strip adventures take him to some of most exotic corners of the world and have been capturing young imaginations since 1929. Herge's clean, expressive drawings, coupled with exciting plots and slapstick humour appeal to even the most reluctant of readers, opening up a whole new world of possibilities.
5. Journey to the River Sea – Eva Ibbotson
5. Journey to the River Sea – Eva IbbotsonSet in 1910, this book follows the adventures of Maia, a young orphan from England, sent to start a new life with distant relatives in Manaus, on the Amazon. Beautifully written, the pages drip with humidity and atmosphere and create an exotic world bursting with new experiences and adventures.
6. Mark Carwardine’s ultimate wildlife experiences
6. Mark Carwardine’s ultimate wildlife experiencesJam-packed with stunning photography and informative (and often humorous) text, this book lists twenty of the world's top wildlife experiences. Give your kids a copy to flick through and in no time at all they will be wanting to rub shoulders with mountain gorillas and hugged by manatees too.
7. The Boy Who Biked The World – Alastair Humphreys
7. The Boy Who Biked The World – Alastair HumphreysAlistair Humphreys is an adventurer and a qualified teacher. After cycling around the world, he called upon his experience in both fields to write a children's book about a boy called Tom who cycled around the world too. Equally exciting and educational, The Boy Who Biked The World will encourages children to look at the world in a new way. And get them thinking about the kind of life changing adventures they want to make.
What were the books you read as a child that made you want to travel? Tell us in the comments below.
