Lonely Planet Kids: Ancient Wonders Then and Now!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

Lonely Planet Kids makes the best books...the kind you want to keep out, so everyone can see them, instead of putting them away on your bookshelves. We just became the proud owners of Ancient Wonders Then & Now, and I'm so crazy about it, it's sitting on the shelf under my coffee table, so everyone who sits on our couch can take a look. This is one of those books that you can look at a hundred times, and still enjoy when you pick it up that 101st time.

This book takes you through the ages, showing you on one page, or a series of pages, how someplace famous used to look, compared to how it does look today. This is wonderful for those places you have already been, and those places on your wish list where you'd like to go. It's also fantastic for just gaining a better understanding of places you have read about or wondered about before, and it does that in a very visual way. That's not something you can always do, especially if a book is written only in the present.

I appreciate the inside look, and the information that goes along with it, of places like The Colosseum in Rome, Italy, where we actually have been before.

I had to laugh when I saw this fun fact at the top of the Colosseum page about cats. We saw a 'wild' cat moseying around when we were there, and we laughed and snapped a picture. I didn't realize until now though, that it was 'a thing' and there are actually over 200 cats there. I guess it's kind of amazing that we only saw 1!

There are more places than the Colosseum featured in this book, of course, I was just showing you a few pages on the same place, so you could get a feel for the book. In the photo above, you can see on the left that there are fold out pages too....so you get a 4-page spread on some of these pictures!

My 2nd oldest son went to The Parthenon in Greece a few months back, so I know the next time he comes over to visit, he is going to take an interest in this book as well because that is in here too. It is also a place I hope to see, some time in the not-so-distant future, for myself.

Angkor Wat is a place that used to be on my bucket list. It's not really anymore, although I do still think it would be an amazing trip to take. You an see the fold-outs on the page really well in this picture. Those pages you can see (above) open up into the 4-page spread you see below.

Then there are even some more pop-up windows included for various things, as can be seen in the picture below.

I actually love books that have the pop-up windows, they add such a great sense of adventure to what you're reading. This is high quality paper too, so you don't have to worry about it tearing when you're using those 'windows.'

The Terra Cotta Army is fascinating to read about.

I'm not sure a trip to China is happening in my lifetime, but you never know for sure. I definitely think it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience a trip there, and this area would surely be a place to see while there.

This book is in a nutshell: fascinating. I've been very impressed with the books we've gotten from Lonely Planet Kids, and the record for that still stands. If you're buying books for children any time soon, keep them in mind, won't you? The selections they have are wonderful for engaging young readers (and sometimes, like this one, adult readers too!). Learn more about this book, Ancient Wonders Then and Now by visiting the website. While there, you will also find a plethora of other wonderful selections sure to tickle your reading fancies.

I know it's a little early for holiday talk, but I can't help but think this and other Lonely Planet Kids books would be an A+ gift idea, if you have readers on your shopping list this year. Lonely Planet Kids also has Twitter and Facebook accounts. Check 'em out, if you'd like. 😊