Bookish and More: Books and activities for children when on the go.

This Bookish and More post is all about books for on the go with young ones. My girls and I have all done our fair share of road trips, all been on long haul flights and we enjoy dining out. I am always on the look out for different things that will keep my girls busy when we are on the go and in this post I will be sharing 10 great finds that we would recommend taking with you when out with your children.

Dress Me Up! By Maria Caluccio.

This fun novelty board book gives young ones a great introduction to pattern, colour and collage. Meet a diverse group of children whose outfits you can change by deciding which patterned flap should go under the die cuts of each character. The sturdy book is small and the perfect size to place in a child’s rucksack or indeed mum or dads bag. It is a fun, colourful mess free read which is very portable. As well as being a brilliant book to take on the go with you this would make a brilliant gift. It’s certainly the first book of its kind that we have seen. A real delight.

To see more or to purchase head to Amazon. Click on the image below:

My First Touch and Find Park illustrated by Marie Noelle Harvath.

This small, light and very cute read would be great to accompany babies and up whilst out and about. I always find it nice to have a surprise book whilst travelling and I’m sure this book would be well received. The book is set in a familiar place, a park where children can lift large size flaps to reveal more of the park. Prompt questions “What’s that?” will encourage children to gesture and communicate what they can see hidden behind the flaps with the perfect size peep holes for young hands to explore. An illustration on each double page also has a textured part making this an appealing, sensory fun read for the youngest of readers. Other titles in the series include My First Touch and Find Farm, Sea and Lion..

To see more or to purchase head to Amazon. Click on an image below:

Car, Car, Truck, Jeep by Katrina Charman and illustrated by Nick Sharratt.

This book is genius. If you have children who enjoy singing nursery rhymes they will love this book. My 1 year is an avid music fan and this book has gone down a treat. Katrina Charman has created a great song all about transport that is to be sung to the tune of Baa, Baa, Black Sheep. It is so fun! The illustrations by Nick Sharratt are reflective of his signature style and so happy and colourful. Yes, you may get a sore throat from the repetitive singing you may get asked to do but if you pack some toy cars this could be a book that provides lots of entertainment while out and about.

To see more or to purchase head to Amazon. Click on the image below:

Arty Words Wipe Clean by Mandy Stanley

Introduce Arty Mouse to your little ones and encourage them to practice reading and writing with this inviting wipe clean book. Activities are varied and colorful including writing over words, practicing pen control while drawing over animals and different lines and completing illustrations with prompts such as “This bed is cosy. Draw yourself in it.” Granted it might not be every childs preferred activity to complete while dining out or travelling but the wipe clean pen and cute illustrations of the book may well tempt them to give it a go.

To see more or to purchase head to Amazon. Click on the image below:

Olobob Top – Make Your Own Olobob Home by Leigh Hodgkinson and Steve Smith.

Olobob Top is a new preschool animated television series that now has books and activity books that your little ones can enjoy. In Make Your Own Olobob Home, children can design different homes for different characters from the series, complete colouring in and complete games like find the matching pair. The book also comes with over 250 fantastic stickers in keeping with Olobob Top’s colourful illustrations. For children who are familiar with the series, I am sure this activity book will prove very popular. Another  activity book is also due to come out this summer.

To see more or to purchase head to Amazon. Click on the image below:

Kew Children’s Guide By Catherine Brereton and Jane McGuiness.

Immerse in stunning illustrations of Kew Gardens in this guide that includes facts, activities, quizzes and more. This would be the ideal accompaniment to a visit to Kew complete with a simple map and well thought out sections including, Glasshouses, Top Trees and Seasons and Kew. This would also be a great book for mini nature enthusiasts and is brilliant for children aged 5 and up. It is sure to get children more inquisitive about the outdoors.

To see more or to purchase head to Amazon. Click on the image below:

My Planes – Activity and Sticker Book illustrated by Samantha Meredith. 

This colourful activity and sticker book prepares young ones for going on a plane. From choosing what to take on holiday with you to collecting your luggage on arrival, this book will be great to accompany children on their travels. There is a mix of colouring in, spot the differences, match words to pictures and heaps of stickers to keep young ones occupied. The illustrations are very toddler friendly and very inclusive. There are also other activity books to choose from including My Trains, My Cars and My Things That Go.

To see more or to purchase head to Amazon. Click on the image below:

Little Explorers – Bugs by Templar Publishing.

This Little Explorer book is brilliant for children aged 3 and up. Full to the brim with facts and with more than 30 flaps this will keep young ones busy whilst out and about. Each double page focusses on a theme of bugs, Flying Bugs, Beautiful Bugs, Useful Bugs and more. The short paragraphs of text accompanied by more information under each flap are enough for children to get a good understanding of what is being explored and also concise enough for reluctant readers. This is a sturdy board book which is smaller then A4, making this an accessible text for small hands. There is sure to be a title in this series of books that will appeal to your child including, My Amazing Body, Dinosaurs, The Farm and The Animal World.

To see more or to purchase head to Amazon. Click on an image below:

Fuzzy Animals – Touch and Feel Colouring by Natural History Museum and  illustrated by Papio Press.

Fuzzy Animals is an absolutely brilliant colouring book. Each double page explores a different habitat and its animals. Filled with facts on one page, the other page is for colouring fun where the amazing illustrations have felt added to them giving the book a touch and feel element. Far different from colouring books that I used as a child, this is a colouring book with oomph. Other titles include Fuzzy Dinosaurs.

To see more or to purchase head to Amazon. Click on the image below:

Picnic Fun- Play Felt. Illustrated by Lemon Ribbon

Felt Fun! We first came across this type of book when my sister gifted one to my eldest daughter. It proved a great hit with my girls and they were delighted to give this book a go. Filled with fresh, appealing illustrations this book is all about engaging fun. Each double page shares a prompt and textured page for little ones to place their felt pieces on. You can follow the prompts, great for my eldest, or choose as you wish, great for my youngest. The familiar context of the book will have little ones engaged and enjoying all things picnic. The felt pieces add a lovely sensory element to this great book for on the go and the non-permanent aspect of the felt pieces allow young ones to adapt their pages as they wish. There are 20 felt pieces to choose from with pieces being slightly smaller then we are used to so avoid giving this to young ones who still enjoy putting everything in their mouths. Also available in this series is A Busy Day which looks heaps of fun.

To see more or to purchase head to Amazon. Click on the image below:

I do hope this post has given some more ideas on things you could take with you when out and about with young ones. I can’t guarantee a completely fuss free flight or family meal out but I’m sure the activities shared will encourage some moments of calm.

Disclaimer: The books shared were sent to us from the publishers. This post contains affiliate links.