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Best geography books for children

Best books about geography for kids
From natural landscapes to human habitats and cultures, each of these books about our world introduces kids to the diversity, complexity and beauty of the Earth. Inspire future travellers and explorers with our pick of the best kids' books about geography.

Geography a children's encyclopedia

(£17.99, DK)

From rocks and minerals to climate, ecosystems, population and mapping the physical and political world, all aspects of geography are covered in this picture- and fact-packed information book. An essential reference tool for KS2 geography and beyond.

A School Like Mine

(£12.99, DK)

Your child will take a journey around the globe through the eyes of pupils their age with details and photos of the school activities, classrooms and playtime of schoolchildren on every continent.

Adventures Around the Globe

(£9.99, Lonely Planet)

A great book for keeping young travellers entertained on the move, with fun facts, sticker scenes, colouring pages and puzzles, as well as a 3D model of the globe to make and decorate.

Sticker Atlas of Britain and Northern Ireland

(£5.99, Usborne)

Packed with illustrations and photographs of the major sights, cities and landmarks of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with over 140 stickers for children to place on the maps. Fantastic value.

Hello World

(£14.99, 360 Degrees)

A beautiful book which will teach your child (and you!) to greet people around the globe in over 150 languages, from ‘hi’ in hieroglyphs to ‘hao’ in Native American hand talk. Lift-up flaps reveal pronunciation and the illustrations show national dress and culture.

You Rule!

(£9.99, Lonely Planet)

If you were in charge, what would your country look like? Design a new nation from scratch with this interactive handbook: lay down the laws, choose borders, make your flag and build a society. Rule wisely!

Children Just Like Me

(£16.99, DK)

A celebration of children around the world which shares the stories of 40 kids from different continents and cultures. Details of the activities they enjoy, the foods they eat, the schools they attend and the homes they live in offer real insight into life in every corner of our planet.

Children's Animal Atlas

(£9.99, QED)

Engage with animal life all over our planet with this interactive pack containing a Spotter's guide, postcards, a giant pull-out poster of the world and the major animal habitats and over 150 stickers.

Little Kids First Big Book of the World

(£9.99, National Geographic Kids)

Languages, weather, animals, capital cities, mountains and landscapes are introduced to younger learners with lovely photographs and hands-on activities like creating a mini-rainforest in a bottle.

Look Inside Our World

(£9.99 each, Usborne)

Journey to the centre of the Earth with colourful illustrations, simple explanations and over 60 flaps. A brilliant introduction to the basics of geography and geology for Reception and Year 1 children.

What's Where in the World

(£12.99, DK)

A visual encyclopedia covering Geography, Nature, People, History, Arts & Entertainment and Science & Technology, with 75 full-colour maps highlighting the world's tallest buildings, longest rivers, most dangerous areas and most amazing wildlife.

My Big World

(£12.95, OKIDO)

A book of geographical exploration for children aged 4+. Starting from inside the home, adventurers Koko and Alex move on to explore the wider world; practical learning fun includes making mini gardens, playing games and tasting biscuit moons.

Sticker Picture Atlas of the World

(£6.99, Usborne)

A first atlas with a difference: children can place stickers of landmarks, animals and people in the right places on the illustrated maps, learning more about the world as they go. Lots of facts are included to complement the sticking!

Utterly Amazing Earth

(£14.99, DK)

Pop-ups, flaps, wheels and pull-tabs explain everything kids might want to know about the Earth, the rock cycle, earthquakes, the water cycle, seasons and weather; have-a-go activities include building a sundial and a mini volcano.

The Real Wonders of the World

(£14.99, Lonely Planet)

From creepy catacombs in Paris to impregnable Fort Knox and a Chinese restaurant, weird and wonderful facts about Stupendous Structures, Cultural Wonders and Hidden, Hi-Tech and Dangerous Places. Guaranteed to appeal to kids.

The Travel Book

(£14.99, Lonely Planet)

Take a world tour through 200 countries with the bestselling kids' version of Lonely Planet's popular The Travel Book. Every country gets its own dedicated page, and the photography and beautiful illustrations bring each land to life.

Follow That Map!

(£11.99, Franklin Watts)

By chronicling the search for a missing cat and dog this fun book introduces readers aged 7+ to essential mapping skills including direction, symbols, grid and keys and how to read (and produce!) different types of maps.

Atlas of everything

(£12.99, Wayland)

For children who love facts and figures, this combination of maps and infographics offers data visualisations on ancient civilisations, music around the world, sport, art and design, animal migration, oceans, natural disasters and lots more.

First Sticker Book Cities of the World

(£4.99, Usborne)

From New York and London to Buenos Aires and Tokyo, tour the world's major cities by stickering maps with famous landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, Tokyo Skytree, the Eiffel Tower and more. A map of the world showing all the cities is also included.

This is how we do it

(£11.99, Chronicle Books)

Follow the lives of kids from Italy, Japan, Iran, India, Peru, Uganda and Russia for a day and find out how they play, eat, learn and live. A beautiful picture book to celebrate traditions and human beings.

Amelia's Maze Adventure

(£6.99, Lonely Planet Kids)

With tricky mazes to complete on every page, this geographical adventure will take your child on a round-the-world trip to the Tomatina festival in Spain, the Palace of Versailles in France, Mount Rushmore in the USA and other world-famous locations. A second volume, Marco's Maze Mission, is available if book one gets completed in days!

If the World Were a Village

(£6.99, A & C Black)

By presenting the whole world as a village of just 100 people authors David Smith and Shelagh Armstrong help make huge numbers and concepts easy to understand. If the wordl were a village of 100 people, 22 would speak a Chinese dialect and 17 could not read or write. Incredibly eye-opening.

Discovery Atlas

(£9.99, QED Publishing)

A first atlas that's packed with illustrations and photos, with striking colour maps to pore over and pull-out facts and statistics. Native animals, natural wonders, famous landmarks and local customs are all covered, offering a brilliant overview for a young geographer.

Maps Activity Book

(£8.99, Big Picture Press)

Create maps, design flags, pack for an expedition, decorate and invent... the world is a canvas in this activity-packed book. Entertaining, educational and perfect for kids who enjoy colouring-in.

Raise the Flag by Clive Gifford

(£10.99, QED)

The most comprehensive, trivia-packed and entertaining flag guide you'll find, Raise the Flag covers country flags, flags of the past, flag etiquette, sports flags and semaphore. Find out which US state flag includes the Union Jack, how many national flags are lookalikes (lots!), which flag was designed by a 15-year-old and how to produce a flag of your own.

One Day, So Many Ways by Laura Hall

(£14.99, Lincoln Children's Books)

Follow the lives of 40 children around the world as they wake up, have breakfast, go to school, play, eat and sleep. Beautifully illustrated and packed with details about transport, learning, games, snacks, homework, family time, chores and fun around the world, this is a great dip-in dip-out read for young geographers.

This Is My World

(£14.99, Lonely Planet Kids)

A huge, information-packed guide to the lives of children around the world, as interesting to adults as it is to young readers! Crammed full of photographs and interesting details about hobbies, foods, families, education and more, you'll get an insight into 84 children and their everyday routines living all around the planet, from a cattle ranch in Australia to a remote fjord in Greenland and an eco-lodge in Costa Rica. Fascinating.

Hidden Wonders

(£14.99, Lonely Planet Kids)

Embark on a book-ful of the planet's most wonderful adventures: paddle through the eerie glowworm caves of New Zealand, ride with the wild horses of the Namib desert, float on rose-pink waters, swim with pigs on a sandy beach or swing off the end of the world in Ecuador – the world's most amazing secret places are just a turn of the page away. Packed with evocative photography, this weird and wild bucket list of marvels and oddities is guaranteed to inspire wanderlust.

Adventures on Earth by Simon Tyler

(£12.99, Pavilion Books)

Explore the extremes of our planet and earn about the highest and deepest, hottest and coldest places on Earth with this striking, fully illustrated guide to the world's most wild terrain. Deserts, mountains, volcanoes, rivers, jungles, oceans and the polar regions are introduced to young explorers, with plenty of information about the animals that live there and the people who have explored the most far-flung locations on Earth. A strong conservation message is threaded through the stories of explorers' bravery and determination.

The Ordnance Survey Kids' Adventure Book

(£12.99, Puffin)

Become an expert map reader, explore the great outdoors armed with tips and advice from Great Britain's map-making masters Ordnance Survey and solve intricate, ingenious map puzzles! 

The Ordnance Survey Kids' Adventure Book will prepare you for adventures in every corner of Britain, and it's the perfect introduction to navigation and map reading for kids aged 8 to 12.

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