Toddlers are always ready to get up and go.

Explore the world reading board books with little ones. Spend the day in different continents, discover national parks, ride in a London taxi or Indian tuk tuk, celebrate festivals, learn about animals and habitats, enjoy fun foods, float on tropical waves, drifting off to sleep.

Sturdy board books are designed for sticky fingers, can be wildly tossed around, dropped on the floor, cleaned off when a muddy pet steps on the book.

Take board books with you on your trip, to read in the airport, on the plane, or snuggling up at night.

Start your adventures with this charming board book box set (in video above):

• Little Traveler Board Book Set by Mudpuppy, Erica Harrison.
• Go on a worldwide trip with four different mini-books – Landmarks, Vehicles, Food, Animals. Read about Eiffel Tower, Pyramids in Egypt, Taj Mahal, Statue of Liberty, vehicles in England, USA, Barbados and Thailand, sushi, tacos, gelato and pretzels, animals in Iceland, Madagascar, Ecuador and Australia.

 

USA

• New York: A Book of Colors by Ashley Evanson.
• Take a yellow taxi, view orange leaves on trees in Central Park, visit green Statue of Liberty, watch red lights on Empire State Buildng and blue lights in Times Square.
• Hawaiian Ocean Lullaby by Beth Greenway, Jamie Meckel Toblason.
• Under a moonlit night sky with warm breezes and scented air, one keiki (child) and his mother float in a boat on the sea, two baby boxfish, three mantas swim in the reefs, dolphins, jellyfish, whales, seals, turtles drift along. Count your way to sleep on gentle waves, an ocean lullaby.
• San Francisco: A Book of Numbers by Ashley Evanson.
• One cable car rolls down the hill, two dragons guard Chinatown gate, three carousel horses in Golden Gate Park, four loaves of sourdough bread, six sail boats in the bay, eight sea lions at Pier 39 say hello.
• Good Night Washington, DC by Adam Gamble, Joe Veno.
• Good morning baby animals at the National Zoo, look for cherry blossoms in spring, say hello to Library of Congress, good evening to dinosaurs at Museum of Natural History, fly to the moon at Air and Space Museum, good night Lincoln Memorial, thank you Washington DC for a wonderful day.
• Larry Loves Chicago by John Skewes.
• Larry, an adorable puppy, romps through Chicago visiting his favorite places – boats and going under bridges in the Chicago River, eating hot dogs at Navy Pier, dinosaurs at the Field Museum, fish at Shedd Aquarium, planes, trains and submarines at the Museum of Science and Industry, reflection in Cloud Gate sculpture.
• Hello USA by Ashley Evanson.
• Take a trip through all 50 states – counting, months of the year, colors, shapes, and opposites.
• Five jazz musicians play in New Orleans. (Louisiana)
  San Francisco’s Chinese New Year Festival is in February. (California)
  Purple wildflowers grow at Glacier National Park. (Montana)
  There are heart-shaped balloons at the state fair. (Iowa)
  The Grand Canyon desert is dry. (Arizona)

 

National Parks

• Little Park Ranger Board Book Set by Mudpuppy, Erica Harrison.
• Discover US national parks coast to coast – Land – volcanoes, caves, arches, canyons, Plants – wildflowers, trees, cacti, mangroves, Water – geysers, waterfalls, tide pools, waterfalls, lakes, and Animals – salamanders, bald eagles, orcas, and bison.
• So Big! Yosemite & So Small! Yosemite by Melissa Iwai.
• How big is Yosemite Falls? How big is El Capitan? How big is Tuolumne Meadows?
• How small is a sequoia cone? How small is an alpine shooting star? How small is a water drop?
• Delightful introduction to Yosemite landscape and wildlife for toddlers, beautifully illustrated.
• Good Night Yellowstone by Adam Gamble, Mark Jasper, Cooper Kelly.
• Visit Old Faithful geyser, colorful Morning Glory Pool, Yellowstone Lake and River, Mammoth Hot Springs, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, boiling mud at Paint Pot Trail, check out mama and baby bison, get help from a park ranger, good evening campers, good night elk under a starry night sky.
• The Adventures of John Muir by Kate Coombs, Seth Lucas.
• John Muir walked to see
  Big, big trees.
  “Come see what I see!” John Muir said
  And people did.
• What did John Muir see when he explored the mountains of Yosemite?

 

Europe

• Paris: A Book of Shapes by Ashley Evanson.
• Spot triangles at the pyramid entrance to the Louvre Museum, find square-shaped sweets in patisseries, look for an arch at the Arc de Triomphe and ovals fountains at Versailles.
• Tip: While traveling in Paris, look for more fountain ovals at the Tuileries and Luxembourg Gardens, arches under the bridges and Eiffel Tower, triangles and circles at the Pompidou Centre.
• France (Our World) by Evelyne Holingue, Margaux Carpentier.
• Spend the day in France with Bebe (and Bebe’s stuffed animal, Doudou). Bonjour – Good morning. Breakfast is jam on bread, then go on a walk count the dogs – Un, deux, troix, quatre, cinq. For lunch Bebe has fish, veggies, cheese and pear – Bon appetit. Bebe plays games in the park with Maman, then it’s time to get ready for bed. The moon watches over Bebe and Doudou falling asleep – Bonne nuit!
• My First London Taxi by Marion Billet.
• “Stop the taxi! we want to see Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square. Stop the taxi! We want to look at the crown jewels in the Tower of London.” Take a tour around London, stopping to see famous sites, full two page spread and the book is shaped like a black taxi.
• London: A Book of Opposites by Ashley Evanson.
• Palace guards, one is big, one is little, buses are new, carriages are old, it’s sunny or rainy at Westminster Abbey, boats sail under the Tower Bridge, cars go over Tower Bridge, time for tea, plates are full, tea was yummy, plates are empty.
• Italy (Our World) by Francesa Di Marzo, Naida Mazzenga.
• Spend the day in Italy. How to say good morning, bike to the park to play football (soccer), panini sandwiches for lunch, gelato for a snack, count in Italian uno, due, tre, time to say good night – Buonanotte.
• Rome: A Book of Days by Ashley Evanson.
• On Monday
  We drive by the Colosseum.
  On Tuesday
  We ride through the streets on scooters.
• Rome in seven days, ride around the Colosseum, climb the Spanish Steps, visit the Pantheon, enjoy gelato, visit St. Peter’s on Sunday.
• My First Nessie by Melanie Mitchell.
• Nessie is the world-famous Loch Ness Monster in Scotland – what does Nessie like? Nessie likes swimming, bagpipe music, playing with otters, she doesn’t like biting insects and photos (she’s shy), but she loves picnics!
• Germany: A Book of Opposites by Ashley Evanson.
• This Barvarian village is near.
  This Bavarian village is far.
  These Black Forest pine trees are the same.
  These Black forest pine trees are different.
• Discover more about Germany – hikers at the top and bottom of the Alps, cuckoo clocks quiet and loud, Bavarian treats eaten and gone.

 

Asia

• Tokyo: A Book of Senses by Ashley Evanson.
• Smell
  the cherry blossoms
  in the beautiful gardens.
  Feel
  peaceful inside
  the ancient Sensoji Temple.
• Lovely introduction to Tokyo.
• Japan (Our World) by Emily Satoko Seo, Aunyarat Watanabe.
• Spend the day in Japan. Ohayo – Good morning! For breakfast eat soup and rice. Walk through gardens, cherry blossoms on a spring day, go to market for fresh food, time for snacks with sweet red bean paste. At the end of the day, have a bath and get ready for bed, it’s time to say good night – Oyasumi.
• Good Night India by Nitya Mohan Khemka, Kavita Singh Kale.
• Good morning, houseboats floating on the Lake in Kashmir, greetings flowers in Great Himalayan Range, hello Delhi, nation’s capital, good afternoon Gateway of India, good evening mangrove forests, home of Bengal tiger, good night Meenakshi Temple in Madurai moonlight.
• The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk by Kabir Sehgal, Surishtha Sehgal, Jess Golde.
• Go for a fun ride on a tuk tuk through a town in India. People jump on and off, squish in together, stop for a moo-moo-cow, sip chai (tea) and munch on poppa-doppa-doms, fireworks go pop pop pop at the end of the day.
• I am a Tiger by Smithsonian Kids, Jaye Garnett, Steph Lew, Cottage Door Press.
• A mother tiger lives in Sumatra with her two cubs. They begin their day when the sun sets, they first cleaning their striped coats, then the cubs play and tumble to learn to pounce and climb. Now it’s time for a swim and fish for breakfast. As the sun begins to rise, the tigers lie down for a nap. Sweet dreams!
• Ramadan by Hannah Eliot.
• For Muslims, Ramadan is a sacred month that begins when the crescent moon appears in the sky. People fast during the day and eat a meal called iftar when the sun goes down. Families spend time together, try to help those less fortunate, and are thankful for their blessings.
• Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin.
• A family welcomes Chinese New Year – clean and decorate the house, cook special dumplings, have a haircut and put on a new dress, enjoy a New Year’s feast, lion dances scare away bad luck, carry lanterns to light the way, now lucky dragon is awake, it’s the New Year.

 

North & South America

• Brazil (Our World) by Ana Siqueira, Ana Matsusaki .
• Spend a day in Brazil. Bom Dia – Good morning, time for a bowl of mingau (porridge). Sobe, get on! We’re taking the bus to the beach. Play with a pateca, cool down with frozen treats. Fun food at the market – cheese pastel (pastry) and cold sugarcane juice. Let’s play capoeria, kick high and low to the music. At the end of the day, fall asleep in a hammock, and dream of rainbows.
• Rio de Janeiro: A Book of Sounds by Ashley Evanson.
• Boom
  goes the drum in a colorful Carnival parade.
  Whoosh
  goes the wind at Sugarloaf Mountain.
• Delightful exploration of the city through different sounds.
• What is a Sloth? by Ginger Swift, Cottage Door Press, Manu Montoya.
• “Hi, who are you?” says the tortoise and snail?
  “I am a sloth, I am the slowest animal on the planet.”
• “What is your favorite food?” asked the parrot.
  “Leaves. Berries are nice too. But I wouldn’t say no to a tasty flower.”
• Why sloths hang around in the trees all day, even when they sleep, why their fur is green, favorite food, and why they sleep a lot, plus other animals in the rain forest. Lift the flaps are stellar!
• Llama (Baby Touch and Feel) by DK.
• Pet llama’s soft fur, feel llama’s furry ears, touch bright green grass – llama’s lunch, feel bumpy ground, llamas can climb very high, touch llama’s two toes, llamas are good helpers – what color packs are they carrying?
• J is for Jaguar (Animal Alphabet Library) by Jean Claude.
• Learn about jaguars and words beginning with the letter J.
  J is for jungle – Some jaguars live in the jungle.
  J is for jump – Strong legs help jaguars to leap high.
  J is for joy – Watch jaguar cubs playing together in the wild.
• Also in this series I is for Iguana, P is for Parrot, A is for Ant, M is for Monkey.
• Over in the Jungle by Marianne Berkes, Jeanette Canyon.
• Count your way through the rain forest – one marmoset, two morpho butterflies, three parrots, four leaf cutter ants … nine sloths, ten howler monkeys.
• Over in the jungle
  Wearing wings of shiny blue
  Lived a morpho butterfly
  And her little morphos two.
• Mexico (Our World) by Cynthia Harmony, Claudia Navarro.
• Spend the day in Mexico. Buenos Dias! Breakfast is yummy – scrambled eggs rojo, blanco y verde (red, white and green). Hop on a metrobus, play with amigos (friends) at escuela (school), explore Mexico City. Pan dulce con leche (sweet bread with milk) is a tasty sweet. At end of the day, get ready for bed, dulces suenos (sweet dreams). Buenas noches!
• Dia de los Muertos by Hannah Eliot, Jorge Gutierrez.
• It’s time for Dia de los Muertos at the end of October. The Mexican holiday celebrates departed loved ones with bright colored decorations (papel picado) and altars, flowers, paper mache skeletons, sugar skulls (calaveras) and music.

 

Africa

• Baby Goes to Market by Atinuke.
• Baby goes to market with Mama in Nigeria. Baby is so adorable, the banana seller gives her six bananas, five juicy oranges, four chin-chin biscuits, three roasted sweet corn, two pieces of corn … Fabulous illustrations of vibrant color and community in busy African markets.
• Egypt (Our World) by Aya Khalil, Magda Azab.
• Spend a day in Egypt. Getting ready in the morning, warm pita and ful for breakfast, visiting Teita (Grandma) and Geddo (Grandpa), walking along the corniche, looking at colorful fishing boats, molokhiya and rice for dinner, kisses good night – Bahebek.
• If I Were a Lion by Jellycat.
• Touch lion’s soft yellow tail, feel his squishy nose, admire his shiny claws and furry mane. What does the king of jungle have?
• Little Zebra: Finger Puppet Book by Chronicle Books.
• Meet little black and white zebra. He warms up in the sun, eats grass all day. When it rains, he gets wet, but is happy to find a waterhole. And the sun comes out again. Finger puppet is adorable!
• Where Are You Elephant? (Touch and Feel Book) by DK.
• Find Elephant out on African savannah. Does Elephant eat leaves in the trees? No, but Giraffe does. As you go, meet more animal friends – Lion, Hippo and Zebra. What has four big floppy ears and two trunks? Elephant, and her baby cooling down in the water.

 

Fun Food

• Little Dumplings by Jekka Kuhlmann, Krissy Kuhlmann, Haley Hazell, Manita Boonyong.
• Meet little dumplings everywhere in the world, each have a name – Momo, Gyoza, Mandu, Coxinha. Dumplings are salty, sweet, some are small, others are big, filled with meat, veggies or cheese, steamed, fried or baked. More than 30 different dumplings with rhyming descriptions, delightfully illustrated!
• After reading this, we wanted to learn more about Fufu, Chochoyote, Luqaimat, Tihlo, and to try them all.
• “We are connection. Community. Care. You’ll love celebrations when we are there!”

• Dim Sum for Everyone by Grace Lin.
• A family waits for little dishes of dim sum to come to their table. Ma-Ma picks sweet pork buns, Ba-Ba chooses fried shrimp Mei-Mei wants sweet tofu. “We eat a little bit of everything. Now there are empty little dishes.”
• Shave Ice in Hawaii by Mariko Merritt.
• When it’s hot, it’s time for a local treat – shave ice! What flavor will you choose? So many flavors to choose from – pineapple, coconut, liliko’i (passion fruit), watermelon, ling hing mui (dried plum), lemon-lime, peach, strawberry, tangerine, blueberry, guava, lemonade, banana cream, vanilla, haupia (coconut custard), mango.
• Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell.
• When red yellow leaves are on the trees, a family goes to a local farm to pick apples and pumpkins. They take a basket to the orchard, and pick the reddest apples. In the field where pumpkins grow, find the best pumpkin.
• Chaat and Sweets by Amy Wilson Sanger.
• Taste snacks of India through the day – potato samosas, bhel puri (puffed rice salad), lassi (yogurt drink), tandoori chicken in roti roll, kebabs, pakoras (fritters), jalebi sweets and coconut cham-cham (dairy sweet in sugar syrup).
• My First Book of Sushi by Amy Wilson Sanger.
• Colorful collages of sushi and rhyming descriptions of miso, tofu, rolls with tuna, egg tamago and shrimp nigiri. “Someday I’ll eat with chopsticks, but today just with my hands.”

• Bee-bim Bop by Linda Sue Park.
• A little girl helps her mother make Bee-bim Bop. Shop for ingredients, flip the eggs high, rice is bubbling in the pot, Mama slices and cooks garlic, green onions, spinach, sprouts, carrots, and meat, help set the table with bowls and chopsticks, everyone gathers around the table, rice goes in the bowl, egg goes on top, then mix it!
• Bee-bim Bop (bibimbap) is a Korean mixed rice bowl.

 

Nature

• Ocean Life by Jill McDonald.
• Take a dive into the ocean, choose your favorite animal – giant whales, dolphins, sharks, octopus (how many arms?), seahorses changing colors, lobsters, crabs, sea turtles and fish swimming along, jellyfish glowing in the dark.
• In My Forest by Sarah Gillingham.
• In the forest, a baby deer watches the snowflakes fall on the trees. He eats acorns, plays with his forest friends and falls sleep, warm and snug with his family.
• Tree: A Peek-Through Board Book by Britta Teckentrup.
• It’s winter, snow is all around, owl sits in the tree, watching seasons change. In spring tree blooms with flowers and birds sing, in summertime bees are humming, apples are ready to eat, leaves turn red and gold in fall, foxes and squirrels gather food. Then forest is winter white again, and in his tree, owl sits tight.
• Caterpillar to Butterfly by National Geographic Kids.
• Watch a caterpillar turn into a beautiful colorful monarch butterfly. Butterfly lands on a milkweed plant, and lays eggs that hatch after fourdays. Tiny caterpillar eats milkweed leaves, grows and grows, changes into a chrysalis. A new butterfly comes emerges, and flies away. Bright, close-up photos!
• Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef by Marianne Berkes, Jeanette Canyon.
• A counting singing story – one octopus, two parrotfish, three clownfish, four stingrays, up to ten seahorses. Gorgeous collages!
• Hello, Baby Beluga by Darrin Lunde.
• Hello to Baby Beluga, a whale that lives in the cold ocean. Fun facts and adorable illustrations of baby and mom.
• Tip: See beluga whales at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
• Moon: A Peek-Through Board Book by Britta Tekentrup.
• Have you ever wondered why
  The moon shines in the nighttime sky?
• Moon shines on desert sands, puffins in a cold snowy land, birds flying south, parrots and frogs in the jungle, turtles lay eggs under the full moon, a tiny mouse hunts in the dark when moon is new, mountains and ocean waves sparkle under a sliver of moonlight.
• So, when you close your eyes at night,
  Imagine the moon’s twinkling light.