For those who’re planning a visit to London with children, there are some nice books to introduce your youngsters to the town – together with fiction for all ages, youngsters’s information books and extra amongst my choose of the most effective children’ books about London.
comprises affiliate hyperlinks*
From image books for toddlers to adventures and mysteries bringing London to life for teenagers, tales revealing a few of the metropolis’s lengthy historical past or enjoyable introductions to the important thing landmarks, the large situation isn’t discovering nice youngsters’s books about London, it’s which of them to choose.
The record under isn’t exhaustive (there are SO many books set in London, for starters), however these are some nice methods for teenagers to get excited a few household metropolis break in London, some important studying to pack in hand baggage and extra inspiration for planning your journey.
You’ll find extra concepts of children’ books about London in my Amazon lists as properly
Books about London for toddlers and preschoolers
Even the littlest guests to London can discover some nice books too, together with image books and different preschool favourites. Some choices within the subsequent part may also work to learn to older preschoolers too.
Paddington’s London Story Treasury
Whereas all of the Paddington Bear tales are set in London, this assortment of 4 favorite image books are a stunning introduction to the town for youthful readers.
Paddington’s London Story Treasury consists of Paddington on the Zoo, Paddington on the Palace, Paddington and the Marmalade Maze and Paddngton and the Grand Tour, with the same old adventures and heart-warming mishaps of everybody’s favorite bear from Darkest Peru.
Paddington followers may also love in Paddington’s Information to London too
Charlie and Lola: We Utterly Should Go to London
My daughter adored the entire Charlie and Lola sequence when she was youthful, and We Utterly Should Go to London is right for followers.
The e-book sees Charlie and his little sister visiting London on a college journey, passing essentially the most well-known sights, so little ones can observe alongside throughout their very own journey – there’s even an ‘extraordinarily good London map’ as properly.
Maisy goes to London
One other agency favorite of my daughter when she was younger, we learn all of the adventures of Maisy mouse, together with her first adventures within the capital.
Maisy goes to London has the same old vibrant photos and little ones can’t resist becoming a member of in with the ‘Honk Honk’ of noisy London horns as she spots Huge Ben, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace and different sights. A beautiful introduction for toddlers following in Maisy’s pawprints.
The Queen’s Hat
Typically all it takes to have an journey is a single gust of wind… Take one very particular hat, one Queen and all of the Queen’s males, and also you’ve received the recipe for an journey via London.
With a string of London landmarks, from London Zoo to Tower Bridge and Huge Ben, the query is, the place will the Queen’s hat find yourself? The Queen’s Hat is geared toward ages 3-5.
Pussy cat, pussy cat, the place have you ever been? I’ve been to London to go to the Queen
Updating the basic nursery rhyme, Pussy Cat Pussy Cat The place Have you ever Been does certainly observe pussy cat – this time visiting the modern-day sights of London, together with the Shard and London Eye in addition to the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral and Nelson’s Column.
With its brilliant illustrations and easy rhymes, it’s nice to learn even to the littlest guests to London.
Madeline in London
For those who’re questioning what Madeline, the archetypal Parisian storybook heroine, is doing in a listing of children books about London, followers of the basic tales may observe her adventures this aspect of the Channel.
After Pepito, who lived subsequent to Madeline and her pals in France, strikes to London, all of them resolve to pay him a go to. Madeline in London is right for age 4-7.
Children’ books about London
The beautiful tales are all set in London, together with a few of the metropolis’s main landmarks – good as a memento or to get children enthusiastic about their go to.
Harry Potter followers may also love monitoring down the places from the books (and the flicks) throughout a go to to London: so lots of them that I’ve compiled an entire set of Harry Potter places in London
Usborne Look Inside London
I misplaced depend of what number of Usborne lift-the-flap books we had through the years – and there’s actually nothing to beat these fabulously illustrated youngsters’s books for youthful readers.
Look Inside London is not any exception, paced with details about the town’s key websites – together with Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Sq. and the Tower of London – in addition to London’s different well-known sights, together with crimson cellphone packing containers and double-deckers buses, together with black cabs. Nice for ages 5+, it’s additionally one thing youthful siblings (and fogeys!) can get pleasure from .
The Tower Bridge Cat
Set in certainly one of London’s most iconic landmarks, The Tower Bridge Cat – the primary of a number of – combines a candy story and beautiful illustrations.
Following title character Bella on the Queen’s birthday, it’s all the way down to the bridge-dwelling cat to save lots of the day when she realises there’s a bus coming over the opening bridge – even higher, the story is impressed by the true story of a double-decker bus leaping the bridge.
The Royal Rabbits
The primary in a sequence of tales about Shylo and his Royal Rabbit pals, this story follows the rabbits’ makes an attempt to cease an evil plot to take a photograph of the Queen in her nightwear.
A candy story of how the smallest and shyest rabbit can nonetheless have one thing essential to say, children can observe alongside because the Royal Rabbits journey to London. The Royal Rabbits is really helpful for ages 7+. You can even purchase the three-book assortment.
The Hyde Park Squirrels
One other candy and vibrant sequence of books, the Hyde Park Squirrels is about in Victorian occasions, beginning with Luke goes to London, as Lucas Bushtail units off for the town to seek out the sisterm he by no means knew he had.
However the metropolis has its personal risks, as Luke discovers when he arrives. Though there are two separate books, they’re successfully one story so be ready to purchase the second if you wish to discover out what occurs after the cliffhanger!
See Inside London
One other nice lift-the-flap e-book from Usborne, this can be a nice various – or companion purchase – to Look Inside London.
Additionally geared toward children aged 5-7, the main focus of See Inside London is taking a journey via time (quite than geography), exhibiting London all through its historical past from Roman occasions to the Center Ages, the Black Loss of life and in the course of the Blitz within the Second World Warfare.
That is London
This basic e-book was first printed in 1959 and whilst you won’t discover bowler-hatted bankers on their technique to the town lately, That is London continues to be a stunning one to personal.
With Miroslav Sasek’s elegant illustrations bringing London to life, you’ll discover most of the historic buildings and landmarks, in addition to black cabs, the underground, the Horse Guards and different conventional sights as tempting as we speak.
Really helpful for age 7+, we got a replica when my daughter was born and skim it along with her from a youthful age too.
Katie in London
On this magical journey, one of many Trafalgar Sq. lions involves life and takes Katie and her brother Jack on a tour of the town’s finest sights.
Geared toward youngsters aged round 3-6 (so additionally works as an alternative choice for preschoolers), their surprising day trip takes them to Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Huge Ben and the London Eye, so Katie in London is right to introduce youthful children to a few of the metropolis’s highlights earlier than their first go to.
A Stroll in London
Following a mom and daughter exploring London, this e-book has a particular place in my very own coronary heart as I’ve tried to emulate quite a lot of of their stops with my very own daughter.
From travelling by crimson double-decker bus to recognizing the lions in Trafalgar Sq., watching the Altering of the Guard and looking out inside a few of the metropolis’s iconic sights, it’s a candy technique to plan a day trip and your personal Stroll in London
Beatrice and the London Bus
9-year-old Beatrice has a dream of being a bus driver – and turning her mannequin Routemaster bus right into a speaking London Bus, no matter her mum thinks.
Then at some point, she meets a speaking bus and it looks like her desires have changed into actuality… or is it magic in any case? Candy, humorous and a novel introduction to London, Beatrice and the London Bus is proof that something might occur on this metropolis. Geared toward age 7+.
The Thriller at Huge Ben
A part of the Across the World in 80 Mysteries assortment, which sees Christina and Grant visiting well-known locations in 80 international locations, this London-based story packs in a few of the metropolis’s historical past and tradition alongside the story.
Every e-book has a map to assist children study extra of the world’s geography, as they observe Grant, his sister and their two new pals as they attempt to resolve the Thriller at Huge Ben, taking them from the London Eye alongside the Thames and right into a dungeon. Geared toward age 8+.
Books about London for teenagers and tweens
As soon as your children are past image books and delicate adventures, there are tales galore set in London, together with these nice choices for youthful tweens proper as much as older teenagers (and their mother and father!)
Grotesque Guides: London
Horrible Histories addicts will probably be delighted to find that there’s a London e-book within the sequence – Grotesque Guides: London – with all of the fascinating and foul, ugly, gory and downright bizarre information you’d count on.
There’s loads of horribly hilarious moments in London’s historical past to get pleasure from too as you cowl every part from plague and pestilence to fireside: uncover what induced the Nice Stink, peer into spooky St Paul’s and courageous the terrifying Tower alongside the way in which.
The London Eye Thriller
An atypical day trip in London turns right into a thriller, after Ted and Kat’s cousin Salim vanishes – having watched him board the London Eye, his pod returns with out him.
With a path of clues throughout London, the pair should put their sibling rivalry apart and mix their completely different approaches to trace Salim down – Ted is on the autism spectrum, and it’s his distinctive strategy and perspective which actually units The London Eye Thriller aside. Excellent for Sep 11-year-olds.
The Ruby within the Smoke
Followers of Philip Pullman will love this story of Sally Lockhart, set partly in Victorian London the place the 16-year-old braves the town’s underworld to trace down her father’s killer.
Travelling by way of India and China, the journey is as filled with element and peril as you’d count on; The Ruby within the Smoke is assured to maintain older tweens and youthful teenagers enthralled.
My identify is Victoria
Written by Lucy Worsley, chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces (which incorporates Kensington Palace, childhood house of Queen Victoria), this story is ideal for teenagers who love historical past and tales of royal London.
Following Miss V Conroy, who is distributed by her father to grow to be the companion to Princess Victoria at Kensington Palace, she is torn between her loyalty to him and the foundations he has devised for the younger roytal, and her new friendship with the princess, locked away from the world by these very guidelines. My Title is Victoria is right for age 9+.
Rivers of London
Think about Harry Potter grew up and joined the police… That’s the intriguing place to begin for Rivers of London, a novel following probationary constable Peter Grant, the primary of a sequence set in London that’s superb for teenagers.
After making an attempt to take a witness assertion from a ghost, he finds himself aiding DCI Thomas Nightingale to analyze crimes involving magic or the uncanny – which implies assembly the town’s gods and goddesses, and getting into the world of myths and legends as he does.
Neverwhere
Whereas Neil Gaiman went on to jot down a string of better-known books, teenagers will love his first novel Neverwhere simply as a lot – with the added bonus that it’s set in London. Or London of kinds.
When a younger businessman stops to assist an injured lady, he discovers one other metropolis of darkness, of monsters – but in addition of angels – in a subterranean labyrinth. And provided that he may also help save this underworld kingdom would possibly he return to his former life within the London Above.
London guidebooks for teenagers
There are London guides galore, however if you happen to’re searching for kid-friendly choices, these London guidebooks for kids are an effective way to get them concerned in planning.
Take a look at Grotesque Guides: London , See Inside London and Look Inside London for extra entertaining however informational journey guides to London for teenagers
Paddington’s Information to London
Good for youthful readers, who higher to introduce you to London than the bear who made his house right here.
From the station the place it began to some key landmarks (with a couple of detours), there are many enjoyable tales among the many data in Paddington’s Information to London too.
London Planet: Metropolis Trails London
The Metropolis Trails sequence from Lonely Planet Children are certainly one of my favorite guidebooks for kids – we’ve used them in cities together with Rome, and Metropolis Trails London is simply as filled with quirky information and sights.
Venturing away from the basic vacationer path, you may uncover the weirdest merchandise ever left on a bus in addition to tales about headline-making parrots, to not point out loads of surprising corners to find throughout your go to to London. Even native Londoners can study loads! Geared toward ages 8+
Lonely Planet Children Pop-up London
With six iconic landmarks together with Buckingham Palace, The Shard, the Tower of London, Trafalgar Sq., St Paul’s Cathedral and the London Underground, it’s pocket-sized, really easy to hold round as you see them in particular person too.
I-spy London
There are greater than 130 London sights to seek out within the pocket-sized i-spy London, with loads of information to find as you learn and discover.
Enjoyable to flick via earlier than you journey, it’s an effective way to cease cries of ‘I’m Bored’ as you wander round London, and there are many straightforward wins – together with black taxis and doubledecker buses – for youthful children to seek out as properly.
Take a look at Issues to Spot in London sticker e-book as one other various
Mission London: A scavenger hunt journey
A mixture of guidebook and journey problem, Mission London ensures your children will probably be conserving their eyes open all through the journey as they attempt to earn sufficient factors to grow to be a particular agent.
There are challenges which is able to apply to ever go to, from making an attempt conventional meals to recognizing key landmarks, in addition to others which you’ll be able to tailor to your personal journey, if you happen to’re visiting specific museums or trying out websites like Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London.
Disclosure: This put up comprises affiliate hyperlinks – any purchases you make are unaffected however I’ll obtain a small fee
Principal picture courtesy of Depositphotos