Lonely Planet Kids: Bringing Travel to Life for Our Children One Book at a Time

I try to get nice pictures of our family interacting with items we are loving at the moment (and long-term, like this one we're looking at today), but sometimes the perfectly real moments are too hard to resist sharing. Case in point, yesterday morning my son woke up and started to go through his latest travel book, the Amazing World Atlas: Bringing the World to Life from Lonely Planet Kids. I got excited and told him to smile for the camera (he gave me a goofy face instead), not even thinking he hasn't even brushed his hair yet...and he'd brought along one of his favorite blankets and his body pillow, none of which even matched in any way, shape or form. Gasp, can I even put that online??? Of course, I can because Instagram-worthy or not, that's our real life and that's him enjoying his new book, which incidentally I love as well. :)

Photo Courtesy of Lonely Planet Kids

This hard cover, generously-sized book provides a wonderful way to sit together and discuss with him, the wonders of the world. He already has an interest in traveling, as do I, so this is a nice way for us to get together for both some reading and down time.

It's so easy to daydream and get lost in the photos while we're reading this book. There are so many places in the world to learn about and see. Some we'd like to visit in person, others we just enjoy learning about through the atlas.

It is written with children ages 8-12 in mind, so even though there are 160 pages, they're broken down into small, digestible bites. There are facts a'plenty, and pictures too, as well as interesting tidbits about each area.

This picture of the lions so close to the tourists in Eastern Africa is interesting for sure, but not really my cup of tea. I'm far too chicken to get that close to a lion and lioness, in the wild, in another part of the world (or even at home for that matter, lol). Those cats are fast, and strong. We'd be no match at all for them if they decided not to be so lazy. It's awesome to see the pictures though, and marvel at those who are far braver than I.

It's nice to see some of the famous landmarks of the USA on the map as well. Some we have seen, and others we'd like to, for sure. 

As with most atlases, various flags are on display in the book. I remember staring at the flags in atlases when I was a kid, hoping someday I would get to see them in person. I even went so far as to try and memorize a bazillion of them when I was about 10-years-old (my son just turned 11). I wonder if he's as fascinated with them as I was when he's reading independently? He hasn't mentioned it, so I don't think so, but you never know until you ask. The difference between his childhood and mine is that I didn't get to travel much (outside of camping which was never more than an our or two from home) when I was a kid. He's been to quite a few places, in and out of the country and realizes my fascination with flags (we always make sure to stop so I can get a picture of the flag wherever we are, for our photo album), so maybe he takes the whole flag fascination of mine in stride. ;) I'll have to explain it to him and help him make connections. I can't believe I haven't done that yet anyway!

This is an atlas I can highly recommend. The quality of the book really is awesome, inside and out. But you already knew that because it comes from Lonely Planet Kids. :)

This is the Amazing World Atlas you've been waiting for--look inside and see what an awesome, cool and quirky world we live in. Get ready to take a trip around the world you'll never forget.

You'll find a lot more than just maps: it's a mind-blowing mix of history, culture and fascinating facts.

• Find out what it's like to be a kid in different counties
• See which celebrities come from where
• Try our fiendish quizzes

Suitable for children ages 8-12. 160 pages. 20 maps. 238 mm x312 mm

Learn more by visiting the Lonely Planet Kids website.