Ready to Travel? Let the Tiny Travelers Lead the Way

 A purpose-driven family brand of learning materials, ENCANTOS, has provided sample copies for me to examine in the past. I've been impressed and enthused about the titles I reviewed, HERE, The design and construction of these board books for toddlers are appealing and durable, with content that engages and informs, offering oral language and listening as play, in English and Spanish. I've been eager to see a sample of their TINYTRAVELERS.COM books. When this title reached me recently, I was not disappointed.

Tiny Travelers United States Treasure Quest, created by Wolfe & Jaramillo, extends their titles in this series. Each features a virtual "tour" of a specific country, from Japan to Mexico to Puerto Rico and more. All are produced in similar format and physical design, with colorful, substantial construction and durable binding. This would readily survive toddler handling, but in this case the audience feels directed to preschool/early childhood kids. In each case, a similar pattern provides young audiences with a familiar template from page to page and book to book. 

Beginning with an overview map, each following double spread features a few rhyming lines of information related to the scene and the "treasure" sought on that page, along with a few related details. There is a stamp-shaped challenge question in the upper corner, and the designated item can be found within the richly detailed pages, confirmed with surrounding "sparkly stars. Familiar human faces and one cheerful pup appear on many of the pages. 

All of this will be very appealing for young explorers, although it could be a bit overwhelming (the first time through) for those with sensory-overload issues. Any who enjoy a search-style challenge will find this a delightful challenge, since the scenes are so varied and provide nearly countless opportunities to practice, develop, and extend language/vocabulary naturally. 

In my opinion, the highlight and greatest strengths of this book, and of the series, are the intentional diversity of the settings, the people who are illustrated, and the less-than-typical activities and interests depicted. In this case, the spreads range from Washington, D. C., to a First Nations PowWow, to National Parks, from a New Orleans jazz parade to a Hawaiian Lei Day celebration, and more. It surprised to me that some pages labeled the individual items (Thanksgiving feast foods) while other pages did not. Overall, this certainly felt it would best serve actually "learning" when shared with a somewhat instructional approach, but could easily invite independent exploration and conversation among young ones. 

Though this "board book" format is not typical for the target age, it suits the subject matter well. That includes the advantage of being able to fully open each spread to lie flat, allowing it to be examined closely. When I shared this book with kids they quickly sprawled on the floor and laid it open in front of them. It also offers interactive features that include a check-off page at the end to tally the treasures found, and QR code to link to website activities related to the book.

I'm convinced this will appeal to a wide age range, and that just might include the adults who share the book with them. Maybe that reaction is a result of our long isolation due to the Covid 19 pandemic, or simply because each page of travel is lively, inviting, and 100% SAFE!

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher with no promise of a review. 

AN UPDATE:  June 1, 2021

Two recent additions to this series reached me this week, and I'd like to call them to your attention.

TINY TRAVELERS: HAITI Treasure Hunt

and 

TINY TRAVELERS: FRANCE Treasure Hunt

provide worthy and inviting explorations and information. I have utterly NO authority from personal experience about the choices made in topics and content, but I did some cross-checking and a surface level investigation indicates that these titles continue to offer young American readers a sense of the appeal and excitement of travel. Openminded learning is of immeasurable value, and these sturdy, vibrant board books strike the right note for presenting unfamiliar landscapes, cultures, and histories in ways that invite further study. They certainly are interactive and engaging. 

The related website, TINYTRAVELERS.COM, offers opportunities to spend your money, which I am not endorsing. You can also find a "Learning Hub" for free, at which you can download numerous activity sheets related to geography, animals, habitats, cultures, languages, and more. I am NOT a huge fan of "worksheets", but these seem like reasonable options for reading/writing/research activities of choice for young ones who become fascinated with global travel. I

n fact, the tagline for the site is "Citizens of the World", which feels like a worthy identity pin these days of separation and strife.

so, if you and your young ones are feeling tethered to home, these could be welcome choices for virtual travel.

Again, books were provided by the publisher with no promise of a review.