Children's Book of the Week: 12

This week, I'm featuring a little series of books, printed in the 1960s, which introduces children to the great cities of the world. I believe my friend gave me the first one (London), and I then bought another for my sister (Paris). They are wonderful childrens' travel guides to the great cities and places of the world. The illustrations are beyond charming. Each drawing could easily be a blog header, if you know what I mean. We'll start with this,

This is London
by Miroslav Sasek

This is London begins with a gray page, and says, "Well, this is London. But don't worry, it is hidden in fog like this only a few times a year in winter." It goes on to tell about the history of London, beginning with the Romans 2000 years ago. Sasek describes, in children's terms, the people of London, the monuments of London, and somehow ends up communicating the charm of my favorite city.

the Underground trains

"This is Piccadilly Circus at night."

The Green Line coach, which will take you to see the countryside.

Needless to say, I can not describe without being very wordy, how much I love this book. If any of these places below are among your favorites, you absolutely must have the book! You can rationalize it by saying that you're buying it for your kids, but really, mine are for me. I'm on a mission to collect all of them, and I think I'll start with Texas.

The first book in the series was This is New York.

Check them out here, on Amazon.