A World of Possible: Children's Books That Inspired Me to Become a Traveler

As a child I loved books that were set in far off places.

By Allison McDonald
Sep 18, 2014

Ages

3-13

A World of Possible: Children's Books That Inspired Me to Become a Traveler

Sep 18, 2014

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.

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