This is my last Paris post. Sorry for those who aren’t Francophiles.
The books for the kids were key. We read tons before we left and while on the trip, and it gave the kids things to look for and focus on. Tons of these books are at the library, lots are available used, and some we simply splurged on. Of course there are many more, but these are the ones we read and used and that, in the next month, I’ll forget, so here they are:
Guidebooks
Fodor’s Around Paris with Kids, 4th Edition (Around the City with Kids) : This was the guide book I used the most. A few misses, but mostly great information with helpful suggestions of places to eat near each sight.
Paris: While We’re Young: An interesting book in that it puts together a complete itinerary based on history instead of geography for you as well as gives you the history you need to know. As clever as it was, this was the book I used the least.
City Walks: Paris, Revised Edition: 50 Adventures on Foot: This is a series of walks printed on individual cards. Very handy to pull out the card for the day and just stick it in my bag as a “just in case.” We followed a couple of them and it was fun.
Rick Steves’ Paris 2011: The best guidebook for all-over traveling. Great food suggestions, nice walks, great for picking out the “must-sees.”
Books on France
These were great for background on the country before we left and gave us things to focus on (Must try that food! Want to see that historical sight!)
First Book of France
Find Out About France: Learn French Words and Phrases and About Life in France (Find Out About Books)
The Inside-Outside Book of Paris
Books on Artists
Having read about some of the artists before seeing the work made the work much more interesting to Pie. The big disappointment of the trip is that the Musee Picasso was under renovation so we couldn’t visit.
Van Gogh (Getting to Know the World’s Great Artists)
Vincent Van Gogh: Sunflowers and Swirly Stars
Degas (Getting to Know the World’s Great Artists) : We used these mostly when we went to Provence. The town we stayed in—Saint Remy de Provence—is where Van Gogh’s insane asylum is located.
Monet (Getting to Know the World’s Great Artists) : Great before the Orangerie.
The Boy Who Bit Picasso (which is now Pie’s all time favorite book)
Paris in the Spring with Picasso
Chasing Degas
Degas and the Little Dancer
History
The history books were more for the boy just because of his reading level and his interests. One of my favorite things was when the boy would surprise me at a particular place with some bit of history that he had read.
Paris 1789: A Guide to Paris on the Eve of the Revolution (Sightseers Essential Travel Guides to the Past): Really cute way of presenting history of the Revolution.
You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Crusader!: A War You’d Rather Not FightYou Wouldn’t Want to Be an Aristocrat in the French Revolution!: A Horrible Time in Paris You’d Rather Avoid
You Wouldn’t Want to Be Joan of Arc!: A Mission You Might Want to Miss: The “You Wouldn’t Want” series is a funny look at different points of history (there are many, many more). Doodles read and reread these books throughout the trip.
France (Horrible Histories)
Measly Middle Ages (Horrible Histories): The Horrible Histories we discovered on the trip and they have every gross-out historical fact to make a kid happy.
Stories
Madeline: “In an old house in Paris covered with vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines….”
Dodsworth in Paris: A nice early reader.
Postmark Paris: A Story in Stamps
The Invention of Hugo Cabret: Don’t be intimidated by the size of this book. Much of it is incredible illustration.
Charlotte in Paris: There’s a Giverny version of the book as well.
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (Classic Starts Series) by Victor Hugo: An abridged version of the classic. The boy liked it so much, I was sorry I didn’t also get him the Les Miserables version.
Nicholas by Rene Goscinny
A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver by E. L. Konigsburg: This was the surprise of the trip. I didn’t think Doodles would read this, and he loved it!
Happy reading!
