OK, whether these are all actually travel books is debatable. But they all have the spirit of travel, of adventure, of exploration.
And they’re all great!
Young Kids
- Next Stop Grand Central and Sayonara, Mrs. Kackleman by Maira Kalman.
- Katie and the Mona Lisa, Katie Meets The Impressionists, and Katie in London by James Mayhew.
- This is Rome, This is Paris, This is London and This is Greece by Miroslav Sasek.
- Charlie’s Superhero Underpants by Paul Bright.
- Magic Tree House (Books 1-4) or the entire series by Mary Pope Osborne.
- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.
- Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett.
- An Extraordinary Egg, Frederick, and Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni.
- Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson.
- Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg.
- The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton.
- The Wump World by Bill Peet.
- Andrew Lost On the Dog , Andrew Lost In the Garden, and Andrew Lost In the Jungle or the entire series by J.C. Greenburg.
- Madeline and Madeline’s Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans.
- Once Upon an Ordinary School Day by Colin McNaughton.
- Paddington by Michael Bond.
- Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! by Dr Seuss.
- Make Way for Ducklings and Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey.
- Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go, Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day, and Richard Scarry’s A Day at the Airport.
- Pippo the Fool
- Pompeii … Buried Alive (A Step Into Reading book)
Older Kids
- National Geographic Kids Almanac 2012, National Geographic World Atlas for Young Explorers, and National Geographic’s Wild Animal Atlas.
- Galileo for Kids – His Life and Ideas – with 25 Activities
- Around the World – 3 Remarkable Journeys (a graphic novel)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.
- Marco Polo – A National Geographic Youth Biography
- The Red Umbrella
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.
- The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling.
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman.
- Holes by Louis Sachar.
- Alice In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll.
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.
I update this whenever we read a good new book. Please offer your suggestions below. Thanks.

Great list! So many of our favorites are on the list – Katie series, Magic Treehouse, This is… There is a Madeline in Rome that is also fun.
Hey Jennifer. I like Madeline in Rome too but tried to restrict the list to my very favorites — or it would get very long in a hurry
Hi- I would like to show you my book Sammy’s Next Move- it is for kids travelling and moving to different countries. http://www.amazon.com/Sammys-Next-Move-travelling-different/dp/1456495011/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329369083&sr=8-1
many thanks Helen
Great travel books for kids is the Geronimo Stilton & Thea Stilton book series. Have really enjoyed reading your posts. Safe travels. Alex
My son has been reading those too over the last few weeks. He loves them. Thanks.
Hello David, Good for you for exposing your kids to beautiful cultures! I applaud you! When you have a moment, please visit my website to read about my project; a series of children’s travel books in the works. My debut book, Let’s Take a Trip; An Invitation to India was recently published and can be purchased through the website or at http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Take-a-Trip-Invitation-Volume/dp/1481019619.
Happy Travels, Sylvie
http://www.letstakeatriptravels.com