Here’s new and some favorite children’s books about Thailand – to read before a family trip, read at home, or wherever you curl up with fun books.

Stories about Thailand – elephants, umbrellas, kites, tigers, Buddhist monks, a magic paper-flower tree, and non-fiction books about Thailand and Bangkok today.

 

• All About Thailand by Elaine Russell, Patcharee Meesukhon.
• Travel through Thailand today – temples and beaches, wildlife, sports, religions, yearly celebrations, food, dance, music, plus the Ramakien and stories, crafts, recipes to cook, songs, games. (Chapter book, illustrations)
• The Paper-Flower Tree by Jacqueline Ayer.
• An old peddler comes to a remote village, carrying a colorful paper-flower tree. One little girl, Miss Moon, so wishes to have this marvelous tree, the peddler gives her a paper-flower seed. Miss Moon plants the seed, but months go by and the seed hasn’t grown. The village is visited by musicians, dancers and magicians who play and dance under the night sky. And in the morning … (Picture book)
• Note: Jacqueline Ayer, author and illustrator, lived in Thailand for years, and created picture books for her daughters.
• Nu Dang and His Kite by Jacqueline Ayer.
• Nu Dang lives in a sleepy village, and more than anything else (even swimming or two orange ices), he loves to fly his kite. On any clear, windy day, Nu Dang and his friends fly their kites in the shape of fish, birds, snakes high into the sky. But one day Nu Dang loses his kite! (Picture book)
• Tua and the Elephant by R.P. Harris, Taeeun Yoo.
• In Chiang Mai, Tua loves to go to the night market, but she never expected to find an elephant who needs her help. Tua, with the help of her neighbors and monks in the Buddhist temple, hides Pohn-Pohn from the cruel mahouts, and embarks on a journey to find the elephant a home. Irresistible! (Chapter book)
• B is for Bangkok by Janet brown, Likit Q Kittisakdinan.
• A day in Bangkok from morning to night, riding to school on a ferry, eating fried bananas and coconut cakes for breakfast, buying fruits and flowers for your spirit house at home, playing in Lumpini Park on the weekend, and at night, the brilliant colors lights of Bangkok. Sparkling illustrations by a Thai artist. (Picture book)
• The Umbrella Queen by Shirin Bridges.
• In a Thai village, the girls and women decorate umbrellas with butterflies and flowers, and each year the person who makes the most beautiful umbrella is the Umbrella Queen. Young Noot helps her families make umbrellas, but she wants to paint something new – elephants going round and round. (Picture book)
• Buddhism in Thailand by Frances Hawker, Sunantha Phusomsai, Bruce Campbell.
• In Thailand, boys spend time training to be a Buddhist monk. This is the story of eight year old Baan, who goes to the local monastery during the rainy season. Baan’s head is shaved, he dresses in robes, collects alms, learns lessons from the head monk, and meditates by candlelight. (Picture book)
• Tyger! Tyger! by Elizabeth Stanley
• In a Thai monastery, monks and tigers in the jungle live peacefully side by side, until poachers threaten the tigers. Guided by a dream, the monks take two tiger cubs into the temple to provide a sanctuary. Gorgeous illustrations, and based on a true story. (Picture book)