There are so many books out there for young children, it can be so difficult to find ones which inspire a sense of adventure. Here are my top four picks for little travellers…
The Snail and the Whale, Julia Donaldson
And she gazed at the sky, the sea, the land,
The waves and the caves and the golden sand,
She gazed and gazed, amazed by it all,
And she said to the whale, ‘I feel so small’
A tiny sea snail longs to see the world beyond her rock so befriends a humpback whale who takes her to see wonderful places. Written by Julia Donaldson (of The Gruffalo).
This is a wonderfully uplifting story which flows beautifully and has excellent illustrations. Definitely a favourite of ours – and it doesn’t even seem to get repetitive, after the 600th read through…
Oh, the Places You’ll Go, Dr Seuss
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…
An inspirational book for little ones explaining that they are in control of their path through life, regardless of the inevitable challenges of loneliness, indecision, waiting or fear.
I’m not usually a fan of Dr Seuss but this one is rather uplifting and is actually fun to read aloud (not too many tongue twisters)! Great for little adventurers who will be forging their own paths around the world in the future.
You Can’t Take an Elephant in the Bus, Patricia Cleveland-Peck
You can’t take an elephant on the bus… It would simply cause a terrible fuss! Elephants’ bottoms are heavy and fat, and would simply squash the seats quite flat.
This hilariously written and illustrated book depicts various animals attempting to travel on a variety of unsuitable vehicles, leaving a trail of destruction. Great for looking at different ways of travelling around in a light-hearted manner.
Poles Apart, Jeanne Willis
“Namaste” said Mr Pilchard-Brown… “Put that python down, dear” said Mrs Pilchard-Brown. India was dazzling, but it wasn’t home.
Following the Pilchard-Browns, a family of penguins, as they pass through America, England, Italy, India and Australia before they finally make it home to the south pole. At each destination the penguins make observations and brief descriptions of their locations.
Admittedly, this is not our favourite book. The penguins are a little irritating and the descriptions of the locations are a bit stereotypical (England, ‘Grey’? Excuse me?) but the illustrations are lovely and the book provides great talking points for each location.
Does your little one adore any of these books? Or you have any other suggestions for must-read books for little travellers?
How I Wander 