For more than half a century, a Lonely Planet guidebook has been a backpacking bible, helping travelers find their way even when they’re happily lost. The publisher’s books for children, meanwhile, tend more toward inspiration than vacation, says Priyanka Lamichhane, editor at Lonely Planet Kids. “We have books about where in the world to find dinosaur fossils and how airplanes and trains work.”
With LP’s new A Kid’s Guide To... middle grade series, things are heading in a different direction. “The series introduces children to places around the world that they may travel to with their families, or are just interested in learning more about,” Lamichhane says. Guidebooks for New York City, Paris, London, and Rome pubbed in 2025; Japan and Italy guides will be out in May.
Each volume is packed with photos and fun facts presented on colorful layouts, in contrast with the denser text found in LP’s guidebooks for adults. The publisher is encouraging booksellers to shelve the books with adult guides rather than in the children’s book section. “We wanted to give children their own version of those familiar blue spine guides,” Lamichhane says. “The text is chunky and appeals to kids’ sensibilities—the largest playground, the coolest roller coaster, the best ice cream. Kids can jump in and out or read it all the way through.”
Each guide starts with a “how to use this book” section that includes overview maps and local phrases (“allons-y,” or “let’s go!” in Paris; “sumimasen,” or “excuse me,” in Japan). There are common themes across the books—zoos and other outdoor spaces; favorite local foods—as well as chapters highlighting individual draws, such as New York City’s theater district, the Champs-Élysées in Paris, and the royal residences and museums of London.
Alexa Ward, who wrote the New York City, Rome, and forthcoming Italy guide, says she approached each of her books with a sense of discovery and curiosity. “Kids are sponges for information and want specifics: How big is Central Park? How many hot dogs are eaten during the July 4th hot dog eating contest on Coney Island? What’s the smallest item at the Metropolitan Museum of Art? The books take spectacular, majestic places, like the Coliseum, and frame them for kids in a way that’s digestible and interesting.”
The guides are also meant to appeal to the beanbag traveler, she says—one who’s sticking closer to home. “An 11-year-old could use the guide to find a new restaurant in their city, and it can also be for the seven-year-old who is obsessed with pigeons. It’s about bringing some magic to the everyday.”
