By Lisa T. Bergren 

I adore graphics-rich guide books for adults. Lots of pictures, lots of quick, intriguing info in bite-sized pieces. And I’m an adult.

I also love books about foreign places for kids. As a traveling mom, I’m constantly on the lookout for ways to get my children thinking about where we’re going—before, during and after we’re there. They get so much more out of our travels when I’m successful on this front.

Enter a lovely solution…Lonely Planet’s Not-for-Parents series. The kind LP folks sent me a copy of ROME: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know, since Emma and I just got back from the Eternal City and I thought it’d be a good one for me to review…to see if I felt like it hit the target. And it did.

This is the PERFECT book for 8-12 year olds, but my teens have been paging through it too. Heck, I read the whole thing last night, cover to cover. And I was delighted. Things I think that will draw in your tween reader:

• Trivia tidbits: Ex. Would you want to go to the bathroom with dozens of other people? And use a sponge on a stick to wipe? (Gross.)
• Engaging, basic info: Ex. Connecting “Trompe l’oeil” (illusionism) to contemporary magic and helping readers identify it in famous locations throughout Rome
• Beautiful, full-color layout: Utilizing classic images, photographs, architectural diagrams, illustration and graphics
• Humor: Cute little cartoons and thought balloons will elicit a chuckle, always a win with kids

Bottom line: If my kids remembered 10% of what’s in this book after a trip to Rome, I’d be happy. And they’d likely learn it in a way that wouldn’t be me, making them do so. I wish we’d had this book pre-trip. I would’ve had Emma read it on the way over  on the plane (it wouldn’t be much of a chore). And then I would’ve had her look up relevant pages prior to the day’s touring and read them to me. It would’ve been awesome. Next time…

Other books in the series: London, New York, Paris and The Travel Book. More are in the works—lucky us!