Photo by Gudrun Enger, Kitchen Gadget Girl

Traveling with our kids means I seek to find ways to engage them in our travel plans, on their level. One way that has been particularly effective is through books about the area we are visiting. A few years ago, in preparation for a trip to Paris, I found several books about the City of Lights, including This is Paris by Miroslav Sasek. Jessica Spiegel at Bootsnall does a great wrap-up of Paris books on her recommended Paris reading list.

This is Venice

For our upcoming trip to Italy, selecting books for the kids was fun and easy. Our trip starts in Venice, and I found another Sasek book, This is Venice, highlighting many significant attractions in the charming city.

I also found a fun treasure hunt book, Kids Go Europe: Treasure Hunt Venice, which makes a game of sightseeing in Venice. Say “Boun Giorno” to a shop owner, five points for you. How many winged lion statues can you count on your travels? Give yourself 2 points for each. Take a photo with a gondoliere, 10 points. My naturally competitive children will find this book fascinating! This book is also available for Florence and Rome.

Gabriella’s Song is a beautifully illustrated book of the musical power of the waterways and gondolas of Venice. A great read-aloud for kids of all ages.

And for my almost-tween, The Diary of Melanie Martin: or How I Survived Matt the Brat, Michelangelo, and the Leaning Tower of Pizza. Melanie adventures through Italy, catching the major sites, all the while dealing with her annoying brother and tasting as much Italian gelato as she can!

Related posts:

Harry’s Bar, Venice Italy

Kids Cook in Italy

Hiking the Cinque Terre Trail in Italy

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com.

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