Books to Read When... You're Going on a Journey

Summer is a time for journeying. Whether you are traveling near, far, or just through a good book from the comfort of your sofa, take time to broaden your horizons with these picture book suggestions.

A Gift of Dust: How Saharan Plumes Feed the Planet

Written by Martha Brockenbrough

Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2025. Informational.

The unorthodox journey of dust is showcased in A Gift of Dust. Dust seemingly lifeless, is actually responsible for nourshing much of life on Earth as it travels. So watch as it starts in Chad, West Africa, as winds carry it across the continent, over the Atlantic ocean, to replenish the Amazon rain forest and beyond.

Sunday

By Marcelo Tolentino

San Francisco, CA : Blue Dot Kids Press, 2025. Picture Book.

Journey into Martin's imagination with his faithful dog companion, Maize. Follow along as they cross frozen tundras and arid deserts, encounter a sacred beast, and fearsome pirates. Readers will enjoy looking for the clues within the landscapes that hint at what Martin may be using in real life to spark his fantastic voyage.

On All Fours

By Gaëtan Dorémus

Brooklyn, NY: Enchanted Lion Books, 2025. Picture Book.

A young bear is stretching his independance by exploring on all fours the natural world around him. From meadow to stream and everything in between, sometimes the journey doesn't have to go far to feel big.

The Voyage

Written by Stéphane Servant

Illustrated by Audrey Spiry

Vancouver; Berkeley; London: Aldana Libros / Greystone Kids, 2024. Picture Book.

Our heroine was born with a spirit of adventure --always looking toward the unknown horizon. Her journey through life (chronicled with swirling, lush illustrations) is full of courage, strength, and love and always reiterates the importance of the journey itself not the destination.

Comments

Review: Faker

Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...

Review: The Bletchley Riddle

The Bletchley Riddle By Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin New York: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2024. Fiction. 392 pages. It's spring of 1940, Hitler has swept through most of Europe, and people believe England will be next. Half Polish-Jewish, half American Jakob has been recruited from Cambridge to Bletchley Park where they are working on deciphering the enigma machine. Jakob's sister Lizzie, meanwhile, is being forced to move from London to Cleveland to live with her grandmother after her mother disappeared in a 1939 attack in Poland. Lizzie manages to escape the keeper her grandmother sent for her to bring her to America and makes her way to Bletchley, where she's eventually given the task of delivering messages between departments. When secret messages begin appearing with Lizzie's belongings, she must decipher them to find the truth about her mother's past and location, while keeping the secrets away from the MI5 agent that seems a little t...

Dragon Run

Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013. 336 pgs. Fantasy Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life. He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines. Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...

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