The Bookworm

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Around the World


A world tour using children's literature, fiction and non-fiction. Some are picture books with more substantial text than those in my Picturing the Earth list, others are chapter books. Books marked ** have more mature subject matter.

World / Exploration

  • The Book of Discovery (M.B.Synge) - history of world exploration
  • Complete Book of Marvels (Richard Halliburton)
  • Seabird (Holling C. Holling)
  • Round Buildings, Square Buildings, and Buildings that Wiggle Like a Fish (Philip Isaacson)

Africa

  • My Sahara Adventure: 52 Days by Camel (Lawrie Raskin)
  • Hippos in the Night: Autobiographical Adventures in Africa (Christina Allen)
  • Africatrek: a Journey by Bicycle (Dan Buettner)
  • ** The Heaven Shop (Deborah Ellis) - effect of AIDS, Malawi
  • Journey to Jo'burg (Beverley Naidoo) - South Africa
  • Jock of the Bushveldt (Sir J. Percy Fitzpatrick) - South Africa
  • Out of Bounds: Seven Stories of Conflict and Hope (Beverley Naidoo) - South Africa
  • No More Strangers Now: Young Voices from a New South Africa (ed. Tim McKee)

North America

  • The Mitchells: Five for Victory (Hilda van Stockum) - Canada
  • Canadian Summer (Hilda van Stockum) - Canada
  • Friendly Gables (Hilda van Stockum) - Canada
  • Anne of Green Gables and sequels (L.M.Montgomery) - Canada
  • Minn of the Mississippi (Holling C. Holling) - United States
  • Paddle to the Sea (Holling C. Holling) - United States
  • Tree on the Trail (Holling C. Holling) - United States
  • Water Sky (Jean Craighead George) - Alaska, USA

South America 

  • Chucaro, Wild Pony of the Pampa (Francis Kalnay) - Argentina
  • ** The Disappeared (Gloria Whelan) - Argentina
  • Secret of the Andes (Ann Nolan Clark) - Peru

Central America

  • Maya Quest: Interactive Expedition (Dan Buettner) - bicycle trek through Central America
  • The Cay (Theodore Taylor) - Caribbean
  • Where the Flame Trees Bloom (Alma Flor Ada) - Cuba
  • ** My Heart Lies South: the Story of My Mexican Marriage (Elizabeth Borton de Trevino)

Asia

  • ** The Breadwinner (Deborah Ellis) - Afghanistan
  • ** Parvana's Journey (Deborah Ellis) - sequel to The Breadwinner
  • ** Mud City (Deborah Ellis) - third book of trilogy. Afghanistan / Pakistan
  • A Little Tiger in the Chinese Night (Song Nan Zhang)
  • Children of China: an Artist's Journey (Song nan Zhang)
  • Young Fu of the Upper Yangtse (Elizabeth Foreman Lewis) - China
  • ** Chu Ju's House (Gloria Whelan) - China
  • ** Spilled Water (Sally Grindley) - 11yo girl sold into domestic service, China
  • Premlata and the Festival of Lights (Rumer Godden) - India
  • ** Homeless Bird (Gloria Whelan) - India
  • Miss Happiness and Miss Flower (Rumer Godden) - Japan, for younger children
  • Great-Grandfather's House (Rumer Godden) - Japan
  • Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (Eleanor Coerr) - Japan
  • Tales of a Korean Grandmother (Frances Carpenter)
  • Daughter of the Mountains (Louise Rankin) - Tibet / India
  • Water Buffalo Days: Growing Up in Vietnam (Quang Nhuong Huynh)
  • The Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam (Quang Nhuong Huynh)
  • ** Goodbye, Vietnam (Gloria Whelan)

Middle East

  • ** Parade of Shadows (Gloria Whelan)
  • ** One More River (Lynne Reid Banks) - Israel
  • ** Broken Bridge (Lynne Reid Banks) - Israel
  • Ali and the Golden Eagle (Wayne Grover) - Saudi Arabia

Europe

  • The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain (Peter Sis) - Czech Republic
  • Philomena (Kate Seredy) - Czech Republic
  • The Family Under the Bridge (Natalie Savage Carlson) - France
  • A Long Way from Welcome (Echo Lewis) - France
  • Emil and the Detectives (Erich Kastner) - Germany
  • The Three Twins (Erich Kastner) - Germany
  • Lotte and Lisa (Erich Kastner) - Germany
  • My Family and Other Animals (Gerald Durrell) - Greece
  • Cottage at Bantry Bay (Hilda van Stockum) - Ireland
  • Pegeen (Hilda Van Stockum) - Ireland
  • Francie on the Run (Hilda Van Stockum) - Ireland
  • Vendela in Venice (Christina Bjork) - Italy
  • The Wheel on the School (Meindert de Jong) - Netherlands
  • Sovietrek: a Journey by Bicycle Across Russia (Dan Buettner)
  • The Children of Noisy Village (Astrid Lindgren) - Sweden
  • Happy Times in Noisy Village (Astrid Lindgren) - Sweden
  • Heidi (Johanna Spyri) - Switzerland

Australasia

  • Red Sand, Blue Sky (Cathy Applegate) - Australia
  • The Drover's Road Collection: Three New Zealand Adventures (Joyce West)
  • The Weka-Feather Cloak: a New Zealand Fantasy (Leo Madigan)
  • Jungle Islands: My South Sea Adventure (Maria Coffey)

Arctic / Antarctica

  • By Truck to the North: My Arctic Adventure (Andy Turnbull)
  • Antarctic Journal: the Hidden Worlds of Antarctica's Animals (Meredith Hooper) - Antarctic nature diary
  • Struggle for the South Pole (Catherine Charley) - Double Take series