Books don't care how old you are, or if you have a passport. They just want you to open them and get lost in their pages. As a child I loved books that were set in far off places, and because of these books, I knew
it was possible for me to travel there one day. They laid the foundation for the wanderlust that propelled me to dozens of countries as a young woman. That travel opened up worlds of knowledge that I couldn't get from books, but it would never have happened without them.
Here are the books that amazed me as a child, and I have passed them on to my children. I hope that they, too, will get the itchy feet to travel and experience the world they've read about in these books.
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans { Paris }
Madeline in London by Ludwig Bemelmans { London & Paris }
Paddington by Michael Bond { London }
The Story of Babar by Jean de Brunhoff { Africa & France }
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L Konigsburg { New York City }
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren { Sweden }
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter { England }
Caroline Visite Paris by Pierre Probst { France }
Heidi by Johanna Spyri { Switzerland }
Barbapapa's Voyage by Annette Tison { London, New York City, India }
What stories from your childhood inspired you to travel? Tell us about it on the Scholastic Parents Facebook Page.