Road Trip Stories for Children
Whether you travel for a day, a weekend, a week or beyond, your vacation will undoubtedly feel longer to a child — so effortlessly can a young mind stretch time into an almost endless sequence. Because they're escapes from the ordinary into exciting new places, road trips can activate and stimulate impressionable young minds. Still, there are times when watching miles roll by can lull and sometimes even dull the senses, so it's important to feed the young imagination.
There are stories that have survived generations of child rearing, stories that are designed to be told again and again. Often, they reinforce life lessons, or provide brief glimpses into strange new worlds. You'll create plenty of "real life" stories during your journey, but while you're on the road, why not let the masters see you through?
Rudyard Kipling, Jules Verne, Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift — these are just a few of the dreamers who have provided some magical material that can help make your road trip a true adventure. But be warned — these stories are as alluring to adults as they are to youngsters, so you might just find yourself taken in by their collective spells.
Fairy Tales make great road trip soundtracks, perfect for around the time that the sun is setting on the horizon, Dad wants to drive on for a few hours and Mom would like the kids to relax a bit. Consider them bedtime stories by night and traveling tales by day — they work around the clock. This timeless collection includes "Puss in Boots," "Rumpelstiltskin," "The Frog Prince," "Cinderella and the Glass Slipper,"... "Jack and the Beanstalk," "The Wild Swans," and many other can’t-miss classics. There’s a reason these tales get passed down from generation to generation — they’re just that good. Brought to life on audio, they take on even more life and detail.
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You remember Lemuel Gulliver, right? His travels to different lands on the quest for a little sanity may, in fact, be similar to the very trip you're taking. What I always liked about this book is that it's a first-person narrative — and a deadpan one at that. Because Gulliver narrates the adventures he encounters on his travels, you really feel as if you know him. I'd never realized just how much... Jonathan Swift's masterpiece reads like a splendid, funny monologue from the road. Swift raised the bar for satire to levels that seem lofty even today with his devastating jabs at life in England in the 1700s. This is a tale full of humor, parody and adventure — a wild ride that will also provide some hearty laughs.
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I remember Treasure Island being read to me in school, and it's resonated with me ever since. The premise is deliciously simple: Jim Hawkins finds a treasure map in pirate Billy Bones' sea chest, which sets him off one of the greatest literary journeys of all time. To hear Long John Silver come to life in this terrific audiobook brings back many fond memories of why I love this story so much.... Do your kids like adventure? If so, this is truly one of literature's greatest escapes, full of wonderfully-crafted characters and mysterious, far-off lands.
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Jules Verne practically invented Science Fiction, and his formidable skills are on full display in this classic adventure. As a kid, the film version of Journey changed my life — after I'd seen it, I couldn't wait to read the book. Listening to the audiobook is a new treat for any fan of this wonderful tale. When Professor Lidenbrock, his nephew Axel and their guide, Hans, take their titular journey, the listener... comes in contact with a myriad of colorful creatures and conflicts. Once they enter the earth through that volcano crater, an whole underground universe is revealed, one that's sure to hold interest. This story taps into the Indiana Jones in all of us.
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Whether you’re on the road for eight or 80 days, this spectacular tale of the mysterious Phileas Fogg’s trip around the planet is one for the ages. It’s another Jules Verne classic, one that works either as a bookend to Journey to the Center of the Earth or simply alone on its own merits. Fogg is inspired to take his epic trip after reading an article that suggests it's possible to complete... a worldwide journey in just under three months. Wasting no time Fogg, along with his faithful valet Passepartout, embark on their wonderful trek — all the while being pursued by Mr. Fix, a hapless detective who thinks (wrongly) that Fogg robbed a bank. It’s hard to imagine a young mind that won't transfixed by this unique travelogue.
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The concept of being stranded on a desert island is a popular premise for books, movies and TV, and we can probably thank Daniel Defoe for that. Desperation, loneliness, courage and ingenuity — they're all on full display in Defoe's timeless Robinson Crusoe, a colorful, adventurous shipwreck yarn perfect for all ages. Hopefully on your journey, you won't encounter the same calamities Crusoe encountered in his: sinking ships, angry oceans, hungry cannibals.... But let your mind drift across the sea as you cruise the highways and you just might feel like you're in the thick of it with him!
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