“What are the best Children’s books about Explorers?” We looked at 151 of the top Kids Explorer books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!
The top 13 titles, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Children’s Explorer” book lists, are ranked below by how many lists they appear on. The remaining 125+ titles, as well as the lists we used are in alphabetical order at the bottom of the page.
Happy Scrolling!
Lists It Appears On:
A Scott O’Dell Award-winning graphic novelist follows three dauntless adventurers on a Jules Verne-inspired challenge: circling the world, solo! As the nineteenth century wound down, a public inspired by the novel Around the World in Eighty Days clamored for intrepid adventure. The challenge of circumnavigating the globe as no one ever had before–a feat assuring fame if no A Scott O’Dell Award-winning graphic novelist follows three dauntless adventurers on a Jules Verne-inspired challenge: circling the world, solo!
Lists It Appears On:
A 2016 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People (National Council for the Social Studies-Children’s Book Council ) Set your spirit of adventure free with this lavishly illustrated trip around the world. Whether you’re visiting the penguins of Antarctica, joining the Carnival in Brazil, or a canoe safari down the Zambezi River, this book brings together more than A 2016 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People (National Council for the Social Studies-Children’s Book Council ) Set your spirit of adventure free with this lavishly illustrated trip around the world. Whether you’re visiting the penguins of Antarctica, joining the Carnival in Brazil, or a canoe safari down the Zambezi River, this book brings together more than 100 activities and challenges to inspire armchair adventurers of any age.
Lists It Appears On:
Ellen Prentiss’s papa said she was born with saltwater in her veins, so he gave her sailing lessons and taught her how to navigate. As soon as she met a man who loved sailing like she did, she married him. When her husband was given command of a clipper ship custom-made to travel quickly, she knew that they would need every bit of its speed for their maiden voyage: out of Ellen Prentiss’s papa said she was born with saltwater in her veins, so he gave her sailing lessons and taught her how to navigate.
Lists It Appears On:
The details on each page invite individual readers to pay Illus. in full color. The 15th century comes alive in this splendidly original picture book about Christopher Columbus. “The illustrations, executed in a variety of media, show scenes from the explorer’s life as well as some imaginary creatures that populated the Europeans’ picture of the outside world at that time. The details on each page invite individual readers to pay close attention, but the brief, clear text and framed illustrations lend themselves equally well to group sharing. Make room on your crowded Columbus shelf for this one.
Lists It Appears On:
Appealing art and descriptive text bring Lewis and Clark alive for young adventurers. Carefully chosen text from Lewis and Cark’s actual journals opens a fascinating window into this country’s exciting history.
Lists It Appears On:
This stunning picture book offers a riveting account of African-American explorer Matthew Henson’s 1909 journey to the North Pole with Admiral Peary. Matthew Henson was born just after the Civil War, a time when slavery had been abolished, but few opportunities were available for black people. As a child, Henson exhibited a yearning for adventure, embarking at age thirteen This stunning picture book offers a riveting account of African-American explorer Matthew Henson’s 1909 journey to the North Pole with Admiral Peary. Matthew Henson was born just after the Civil War, a time when slavery had been abolished, but few opportunities were available for black people. As a child, Henson exhibited a yearning for adventure, embarking at age thirteen on a five-year voyage sailing the seven seas.
Lists It Appears On:
Grill’s beautiful use of colored pencils and vibrant hues effortlessly evokes the adventure and excitement that surrounded the expedition. His impeccably researched drawings, rich with detail, fastidiously reproduce the minutiae of the expedition. Children will love examining the diagrams of the peculiar provisions and the individual drawings of each sled dog and packhorse. This book takes the academic and historical information behind the expedition and reinterprets it for a young audience.
Lists It Appears On:
So you want to be an explorer? What does it take, you ask? To find out, take a look at Judith St. George and David Small’s witty collection of some of the best explorers the world has ever known.You know Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus, but what about Mary Kingsley, who studied cannibals in Africa, or cowboy Jim White, who, by mistake, found Carlsbad Caverns? Full of So you want to be an explorer? What does it take, you ask? To find out, take a look at Judith St. George and David Small’s witty collection of some of the best explorers the world has ever known.You know Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus, but what about Mary Kingsley, who studied cannibals in Africa, or cowboy Jim White, who, by mistake, found Carlsbad Caverns? Full of boundless energy and illustrations you won’t forget, this historical jaunt will inspire the explorer in all of us, young and old.
Lists It Appears On:
Lists It Appears On:
In this stunning picture book, Steve Jenkins takes us to Mount Everest – exploring its history, geography, climate, and culture. This unique book takes readers on the ultimate adventure of climbing the great mountain. Travel along and learn what to pack for such a trek and the hardships one may suffer on the way to the top. Avalanches, frostbite, frigid temperatures, wind, In this stunning picture book, Steve Jenkins takes us to Mount Everest – exploring its history, geography, climate, and culture. This unique book takes readers on the ultimate adventure of climbing the great mountain. Travel along and learn what to pack for such a trek and the hardships one may suffer on the way to the top. Avalanches, frostbite, frigid temperatures, wind, and limited oxygen are just a few of the dangers that make scaling this peak one of the most extreme physical challenges one can experience.
Lists It Appears On:
When Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Spain in 1519, he believed he could get to the Spice Islands by sailing west through or around the New World. He was right, but what he didn’t know was that the treacherous voyage would take him three years and cost him his life. Black-and-white line drawings illustrate Magellan’s life and voyage, with sidebars and a When Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Spain in 1519, he believed he could get to the Spice Islands by sailing west through or around the New World. He was right, but what he didn’t know was that the treacherous voyage would take him three years and cost him his life. Black-and-white line drawings illustrate Magellan’s life and voyage, with sidebars and a time line that enhance readers’ understanding of the period.
Lists It Appears On:
Lists It Appears On:
Simply told, grandly shown, here is the flight of Apollo 11. Here for a new generation of readers and explorers are the steady astronauts, clicking themselves into gloves and helmets, strapping themselves into sideways seats. Here are their great machines in all their detail and monumentality, the ROAR of rockets, and the silence of the Moon. Here is a story of adventure a Simply told, grandly shown, here is the flight of Apollo 11. Here for a new generation of readers and explorers are the steady astronauts, clicking themselves into gloves and helmets, strapping themselves into sideways seats. Here are their great machines in all their detail and monumentality, the ROAR of rockets, and the silence of the Moon.
| # | Books | Authors | Lists |
| 14 | 7 Ate 9 | Tara Lazar | Start With A Book |
| 15 | A Big Day for Baseball | Mary Pope Osborne | Start With A Book |
| 16 | A Picture Book of Lewis and Clark | Fatherly | |
| 17 | A Pioneer Sampler: The Daily Life of a Pioneer Family in 1840 | My Learning Table | |
| 18 | A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II | A Mighty Girl | |
| 19 | A Tyranny of Petticoats: 15 Stories of Belles, Bank Robbers, & Other Badass Girls | A Mighty Girl | |
| 20 | A World Of Her Own: 24 Amazing Women Explorers and Adventurers | A Mighty Girl | |
| 21 | Ace Lacewing: Bug Detective | David Biedrzycki | Start With A Book |
| 22 | Adventures of the Treasure Fleet | Ann Bowler | The Best Childrens Books |
| 23 | Aim for the Skies: Jerrie Mock and Joan Merriam Smith’s Race to Complete Amelia Earhart’s Quest | A Mighty Girl | |
| 24 | Alphabet Mystery | Audrey Wood | Start With A Book |
| 25 | Apples to Oregon | My Learning Table | |
| 26 | Archaeologists Dig for Clues | Kate Duke | Start With A Book |
| 27 | Archaeology for Kids | Richard Panchyk | Start With A Book |
| 28 | Away With Words: The Daring Story of Isabella Bird | A Mighty Girl | |
| 29 | Baby Monkey, Private Eye | Brian Selznick , David Serlin | Start With A Book |
| 30 | Barnum’s Bones: How Barnum Brown Discovered the Most Famous Dinosaur in the World | Tracey Fern | Start With A Book |
| 31 | Beyond the Sea of Ice The Voyages of Henry Hudson | Joan Elizabeth Goodman | The Best Childrens Books |
| 32 | Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones | My Learning Table | |
| 33 | By the Great Horn Spoon! | Sid Fleischman | Start With A Book |
| 34 | Cam Jansen and the Green School Mystery | David Adler | Start With A Book |
| 35 | Chet Gecko, Private Eye Series | Bruce Hale | Start With A Book |
| 36 | Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do | Katherine Heling, Deborah Hembrook | Start With A Book |
| 37 | Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun | My Learning Table | |
| 38 | Daily Life in a Covered Wagon | My Learning Table | |
| 39 | Dandelions | My Learning Table | |
| 40 | Detective LaRue: Letters from the Investigation | Mark Teague | Start With A Book |
| 41 | Encounter | Jane Yolen | The Best Childrens Books |
| 42 | Encyclopedia Brown Series | Donald Sobol | Start With A Book |
| 43 | Escape North!: The Story of Harriet Tubman | A Mighty Girl | |
| 44 | Exploration and Conquest | Betsy & Guilio Maestro | The Best Childrens Books |
| 45 | Explore! The Most Dangerous Journeys of All Time | What Do We Do All Day | |
| 46 | Explorers of the New World: Discover the Golden Age of Exploration | Carla Mooney | Teaching Kids Books |
| 47 | Explorers Who Got Lost | Diane Dreher | The Best Childrens Books |
| 48 | Exploring Planet Earth: The Journey of Discovery from Early Civilization to Future Exploration | My Learning Table | |
| 49 | Exploring Space: From Galileo to the Mars Rover and Beyond | Martin Jenkins | Start With A Book |
| 50 | Far Beyond the Garden Gate: Alexandra David-Neel’s Journey to Lhasa | What Do We Do All Day | |
| 51 | Fearless Flyer: Ruth Law and Her Flying Machine | A Mighty Girl | |
| 52 | First Girl Scout: The Life of Juliette Gordon Low | A Mighty Girl | |
| 53 | Flotsam | David Wiesner | Start With A Book |
| 54 | Flush | Carl Hiaasen | Start With A Book |
| 55 | Fly Girls Young Readers Edition: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History | A Mighty Girl | |
| 56 | Fly Girls: The Daring American Women Pilots Who Helped Win WWII | A Mighty Girl | |
| 57 | Fly High! The Story Of Bessie Coleman | A Mighty Girl | |
| 58 | Follow That Map! A First Look at Mapping Skills | Scot Ritchie | Start With A Book |
| 59 | Galaxy Girls: 50 Amazing Stories of Women in Space | A Mighty Girl | |
| 60 | Girl with a Camera | A Mighty Girl | |
| 61 | Gold in the Hills: A Tale of the Klondike Gold Rush | Candice Ransom | Start With A Book |
| 62 | Helen Thayer’s Arctic Adventure: A Woman and Her Dog Walk to the North Pole | A Mighty Girl | |
| 63 | Here Come the Girl Scouts!: The Amazing All-True Story of Juliette ‘Daisy’ Gordon Low and Her Great Adventure | A Mighty Girl | |
| 64 | Hermelin the Detective Mouse | Mini Grey | Start With A Book |
| 65 | Historium: Welcome to the Museum | Jo Nelson | Start With A Book |
| 66 | How Kate Warne Saved President Lincoln: The Story Behind the Nation’s First Female Detective | A Mighty Girl | |
| 67 | How the Sphinx Got to the Museum | Jessie Hartland | Start With A Book |
| 68 | Hurricane | David Wiesner | Start With A Book |
| 69 | I Am Amelia Earhart | A Mighty Girl | |
| 70 | I Spy Mystery: A Book of Picture Riddles | Jean Marzollo | Start With A Book |
| 71 | I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer | Carole Boston Weatherford | Start With A Book |
| 72 | If Stones Could Speak: Unlocking the Secrets of Stonehenge | Marc Aronson | Start With A Book |
| 73 | In 1492 | Jean Marzollo | The Best Childrens Books |
| 74 | It Can’t Be Done, Nellie Bly | A Mighty Girl | |
| 75 | Julian, Secret Agent | Ann Cameron | Start With A Book |
| 76 | King & Kayla and the Case of the Secret Code | Dori Hillestad Butler | Start With A Book |
| 77 | Leif the Lucky | My Learning Table | |
| 78 | Letters from Camp: A Mystery | Kate Klise | Start With A Book |
| 79 | Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle | What Do We Do All Day | |
| 80 | Lost in Outer Space: The Incredible Journey of Apollo 13 | Tod Olson | Start With A Book |
| 81 | Magellan’s World | Stuart Waldman | The Best Childrens Books |
| 82 | Marco Polo for Kids : His Marvelous Journey to China : 21 Activities | Janis Herbert | Teaching Kids Books |
| 83 | Melonhead and the Undercover Operation | Katy Kelly | Start With A Book |
| 84 | Monster Hunt: Exploring Mysterious Creatures | Jim Arnosky | Start With A Book |
| 85 | Morning Girl | Micheal Dorris | The Best Childrens Books |
| 86 | Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money | Christopher Paul Curtis | Start With A Book |
| 87 | Mrs. Harkness and the Panda | Alicia Porter | Start With A Book |
| 88 | Muddy Max: The Mystery of Marsh Creek | Elizabeth Rusch | Start With A Book |
| 89 | My First Amelia Earhart (Little People, Big Dreams) | A Mighty Girl | |
| 90 | Nate the Great | Marjorie Weinman Sharmat | Start With A Book |
| 91 | Nellie Bly and Investigative Journalism for Kids: Mighty Muckrakers from the Golden Age to Today | A Mighty Girl | |
| 92 | Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic | A Mighty Girl | |
| 93 | Park Scientists: Gila Monsters, Geysers, and Grizzly Bears in America’s Own Backyard | Mary Kay Carson | Start With A Book |
| 94 | Patterns in Peru: An Adventure in Patterning | Cindy Neuschwander | Start With A Book |
| 95 | Pedro’s Journal | Pam Conrad | The Best Childrens Books |
| 96 | Polo: The Runaway Book | Regis Faller | Start With A Book |
| 97 | Quest | Kathleen Benner Duble | The Best Childrens Books |
| 98 | Reporting Under Fire: 16 Daring Women War Correspondents and Photojournalists | A Mighty Girl | |
| 99 | Sacajawea: Lewis and Clark Would Be Lost Without Me | A Mighty Girl | |
| 100 | Sally Ride: A Photobiography of America’s Pioneering Woman in Space | A Mighty Girl | |
| 101 | Sally Ride: Life On A Mission | A Mighty Girl | |
| 102 | Saving Kabul Corner | N.H. Senzai | Start With A Book |
| 103 | Secret Coders | Gene Yang | Start With A Book |
| 104 | Secrets of Stonehenge | Mick Manning | Start With A Book |
| 105 | Seeker of Knowledge: The Man Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphs | James Rumford | Start With A Book |
| 106 | Seized by the Sun: The Life and Disappearance of World War II Pilot Gertrude Tompkins | A Mighty Girl | |
| 107 | Sir Walter Raleigh & the Quest for El Dorado | Marc Aronson | The Best Childrens Books |
| 108 | Stones, Bones, and Petroglyphs: Digging into Southwest Archaeology | Susan Goodwin | Start With A Book |
| 109 | Stowaway | Karen Hesse | The Best Childrens Books |
| 110 | Super Sniffers: Dog Detectives On the Job | Dorothy Hinshaw Hinshaw Patent | Start With A Book |
| 111 | Tesla’s Attic | Neal Shusterman | Start With A Book |
| 112 | The 5,000-Year-Old Puzzle: Solving a Mystery of Ancient Egypt | Claudi Logan | Start With A Book |
| 113 | The Boxcar Children: Houseboat Mystery | Gertrude Chandler Warner | Start With A Book |
| 114 | The Buzz on Bees: Why Are They Disappearing? | Shelly Rotner, Anne Woodhull | Start With A Book |
| 115 | The Capital Catch (Ballpark Mysteries) | Dsavid A. Kelly | Start With A Book |
| 116 | The Dinosaur Museum | National Geographic | Start With A Book |
| 117 | The Discovery of the Americas | Betsy & Guilio Maestro | The Best Childrens Books |
| 118 | The King’s Fifth | Scott O’Dell | The Best Childrens Books |
| 119 | The Mighty Mars Rovers | Elizabeth Rusch | Start With A Book |
| 120 | The Museum Book: A Guide to Strange and Wonderful Collections | Jan Mark | Start With A Book |
| 121 | The Pilot And The Little Prince | Fatherly | |
| 122 | The Raft | My Learning Table | |
| 123 | The Sea King | Albert Marrin | The Best Childrens Books |
| 124 | The Secret Cave: Discovering Lascaux | Emily Arnold McCully | Start With A Book |
| 125 | The Stunning Science of Everything: Science with the Squishy Bits Left In | Nick Arnold, Tony De Saulles | Start With A Book |
| 126 | The Talking T. Rex (An A to Z Mystery) | Ron Roy | Start With A Book |
| 127 | The Usborne Book of Explorers from Columbus to Armstrong (Famous Lives) | My Learning Table | |
| 128 | The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps | A Mighty Girl | |
| 129 | The World in 1492 | Jean Fritz and other | The Best Childrens Books |
| 130 | The World Made New | Marc Aronson | The Best Childrens Books |
| 131 | The Wright Brothers: How They Invented The Airplane | Fatherly | |
| 132 | The Wrigley Riddle | David Kelly | Start With A Book |
| 133 | To Space and Back | A Mighty Girl | |
| 134 | To the Edge of the World | Michele Torrey | The Best Childrens Books |
| 135 | To The Stars!: The First American Woman to Walk In Space | A Mighty Girl | |
| 136 | Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa | What Do We Do All Day | |
| 137 | What Darwin Saw: The Journey that Changed the World | Rosalyn Schanzer | Start With A Book |
| 138 | When Grandma Gatewood Took A Hike | A Mighty Girl | |
| 139 | When You Wander: A Search-and-Rescue Dog Story | Margarita Engle | Start With A Book |
| 140 | Where Do You Think You’re Going, | Jean Fritz | The Best Childrens Books |
| 141 | Who HQ Collection: Women in History | A Mighty Girl | |
| 142 | Who Really Discovered America | The Best Childrens Books | |
| 143 | Who Was First? | Russell Freedman | The Best Childrens Books |
| 144 | Who Was Sacagawea? | My Learning Table | |
| 145 | Why? | Richard Torrey | Start With A Book |
| 146 | Women Explorers: Perils, Pistols, and Petticoats | A Mighty Girl | |
| 147 | Women Heroes of World War I: 16 Remarkable Resisters, Soldiers, Spies, and Medics | A Mighty Girl | |
| 148 | Women in Science Boxed Gift Set (Little People, Big Dreams) | A Mighty Girl | |
| 149 | Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, and Rebels | A Mighty Girl | |
| 150 | Yankee Doodle Gals: Women Pilots of World War II | A Mighty Girl | |
| 151 | Young Cam Jansen and the Lost Tooth | David Adler | Start With A Book |
| Source | Article |
| What Do We Do All Day | Children’s Books about Explorers: True Life Amazing Adventures |
| Start With A Book | Detectives and Explorers: Fiction & nonfiction children’s books and … |
| A Mighty Girl | Explorers / Adventurers – Role Models – Mighty Girls & Women – Books … |
| Teaching Kids Books | Explorers | Teaching With Kids’ Books |
| The Best Childrens Books | The Age of Exploration in the Best Children’s Books |
| Fatherly | The Best Books About Explorers For Kids In 2016 |
| My Learning Table | What to Read: Children’s Books About Explorers – Learning Table |
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