{"id":13887,"date":"2021-06-09T12:00:12","date_gmt":"2021-06-09T16:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/?p=13887"},"modified":"2025-04-22T13:25:44","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T17:25:44","slug":"kids-books-summer-road-trips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/kids-books-summer-road-trips\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Books To Keep Kids Entertained During Summer Road Trips"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With grandparents who live in a different state, road trips are a fact of life for my little guy, and I spend a good amount of time figuring out ways to make these drives as entertaining \u2014 and meltdown free \u2014 as possible. While that\u2019s a bit tricky with my toddler, I can\u2019t wait for the day when I can start adding books into the mix. They\u2019re the perfect way to make those hours on the turnpike fly by.<\/p>\n<p>Whether activity books or travel-themed readers, there\u2019s an entire world of engaging and super fun options to keep beginning and growing readers busy on your next family trip. Here are a few of our favorites.<\/p>\n<p> no no    9780843107593  <i>Summer Fun Mad Libs Junior<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/292029\/summer-fun-mad-libs-junior-by-roger-price\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&#038;aid=randohouseinc22957-20&#038;linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Roger Price <\/p>\n<p>A must-have for any road trip, this iconic series has brought fun to family vacations for decades. In <i>Summer Fun Mad Libs Junior<\/i>, your family will love creating silly stories all about summer in stories like \u201cMy First Plane Ride,\u201d \u201cA Day at Oceanland,\u201d and more! <\/p>\n<p>   9780307157850  <i>Richard Scarry\u2019s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/161322\/richard-scarrys-cars-and-trucks-and-things-that-go-by-written-and-illustrated-by-richard-scarry\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&#038;aid=randohouseinc22957-20&#038;linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Richard Scarry <\/p>\n<p>Our little ones are invariably fascinated by all the different vehicles you\u2019re likely to spot on a road trip \u2014 whether it\u2019s other cars and trucks, police cruisers and buses, or massive tractor-trailers. As always, there\u2019s a classic from Richard Scarry to help cultivate your child\u2019s interest. With hundreds of colorful and sometimes fantastical vehicles, this is a terrific road trip companion. And for even more vehicle spotting with Richard Scarry, check out his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/161398\/richard-scarrys-cars-and-trucks-from-a-to-z-by-written-and-illustrated-by-richard-scarry\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&#038;aid=randohouseinc22957-20&#038;linkid=PRH06C9ECE222\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Cars and Trucks from A to Z<\/i><\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>   9781524763015  <i>Go!<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/562543\/go-blue-by-wee-society\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&#038;aid=randohouseinc22957-20&#038;linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Wee Society <\/p>\n<p>Some of my best childhood memories begin with family road trips. <i>Go!<\/i> is a colorful, activity-filled travel journal geared toward growing readers. Featuring fun writing prompts, adventure badges to earn, postcards, and tons of other activities, it\u2019s an engaging way to not only entertain your little travel companion but also chart the memories you\u2019re making together. <\/p>\n<p>   9780736431057  <i>Shapes, Colors, Counting &#038; More! (Disney\/Pixar Cars)<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/223539\/shapes-colors-counting-and-more-disneypixar-cars-by-rh-disney-illustrated-by-rh-disney\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&#038;aid=randohouseinc22957-20&#038;linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by RH Disney <\/p>\n<p>In this boxed set of four board books, your little one can join Lightning McQueen, Mater, and all their friends from <i>Cars<\/i> as they learn about colors, numbers, shapes, and opposites. A great way to keep even the littlest child entertained. <\/p>\n<p>   9781524741235  <i>What Kind of Car Does a T. Rex Drive?<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/558256\/what-kind-of-car-does-a-t-rex-drive-by-mark-lee-illustrated-by-brian-biggs\/9781524741235\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&#038;aid=randohouseinc22957-20&#038;linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Mark Lee, illustrated by Brian Biggs <\/p>\n<p>A great choice for early readers and read-aloud sessions, <i>What Kind of Car Does a T. Rex Drive?<\/i> is a must-have addition to your road trip activity bag. Your child will join Ava and Mickey \u2014 two dinosaur-obsessed kids \u2014 as they help a group of dinosaurs shop for their ideal vehicles at Uncle Otto\u2019s car lot. Bright colors, fun illustrations, and tons of witty details ensure there\u2019s plenty to keep your child amused. <\/p>\n<p>   9781465470263  <i>The Travel Activity Book<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/567368\/the-travel-activity-book-by-dk\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&#038;aid=randohouseinc22957-20&#038;linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by DK <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re big fans of DK \u2014 my little guy is particularly obsessed with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/series\/1UP\/pop-up-peekaboo\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&#038;aid=randohouseinc22957-20&#038;linkid=PRH06C9ECE222\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Pop-Up Peekaboo!<\/i> series<\/a>. For sturdy, enticing picture books, DK is hard to top, and <i>The Travel Activity Book<\/i> is a road trip essential featuring doodles, games, and puzzles alongside a wealth of information about various cultures and real-world destinations. It\u2019s an educational way to keep your child occupied on family trips. <\/p>\n<p>   9780843174984  <i>Mad Libs on the Road<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/334223\/mad-libs-on-the-road-by-roger-price\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&#038;aid=randohouseinc22957-20&#038;linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Roger Price and Leonard Stern <\/p>\n<p><i>Mad Libs<\/i> is the <i>perfect<\/i> travel companion. These hilarious games can be played alone or with the whole family, and provide hours of entertainment. In this collection of 21 hilarious stories you\u2019ll help create car songs, visit historical sites, and even go to a roadside diner. <\/p>\n<p>   9781684372607  <i>Travel Mazes<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/588729\/travel-mazes-by-highlights\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&#038;aid=randohouseinc22957-20&#038;linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Highlights <\/p>\n<p>This collection of mazes from the publisher behind <i>Highlights Magazine<\/i> engages young readers with age-appropriate puzzles. Including over thirty-five colorful, travel-themed mazes of all types, it\u2019s an absorbing distraction for those long drives. Your child will guide vehicles along twisty roads, help a roller-coaster stay on track, and even launch a shuttle into outer space. <\/p>\n<p>   9780843177374  <i>Ultimate Sticker Puzzles: License Plates Across the States<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/295306\/ultimate-sticker-puzzles-license-plates-across-the-states-by-tony-tallarico-illustrated-by-tony-tallarico\/9780843177374\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&#038;aid=randohouseinc22957-20&#038;linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Tony Tallarico <\/p>\n<p>Growing up, my family loved to play the License Plate Game on our road trips, looking out the window to see how many states we could find. This fun activity book includes full-color license plate stickers from all 50 states that you can use to take the classic license plate game to a whole new level. In addition, the book is chock-full of mazes, word searches, crosswords, and more. With so many fun things to keep kids entertained, we promise they won\u2019t be asking the dreaded, \u201cAre we there yet?\u201d. <\/p>\n<p><i><small>Editor&#8217;s Note: This article was originally published in 2019 and updated in 2021.<\/small><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From activity books or travel-themed reads, there are plenty of engaging and super fun options to keep beginning and growing readers busy on your next family trip.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":13889,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[826,1135],"coauthors":[1026],"class_list":["post-13887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-summer","tag-activity-books","ages_stages-pre-k","ages_stages-growing-reader"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.2 - 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