Best Books About Italy for Preschoolers
Teaching my daughters about other countries at the earliest of ages is so important to me. So to introduce concepts like geography, culture, and history, as well as to spark a curiosity about the world around them, I’m always bringing in as many books as I can find about different places. These were the best books I found about Italy for preschoolers to help my daughter learn more about the world- without ever leaving home.
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Best Board Books About Italy
Rome: A Book of Days by Ashley Evanson
Ok, I know this book is technically marketed for babies and toddlers, and I definitely first checked it out when my oldest was a baby, but I included it again during her preschool unit.
Here’s why:
It goes through a week’s itinerary in Rome with each day being a new activity. They visit the Colosseum, eat gelato, make a wish in the Trevi Fountain, etc. Each page has VERY limited information on what each activity is- it’s a simple sentence with an illustration.
BUT do you know any babies learning their days of the week? Nope? Me neither. You know who IS learning her days of the week? My preschooler. So while piquing her interest in Rome, it also helped her work on an entirely different skill that she’s been trying to master.
Second- it’s a great way to introduce the idea of an itinerary. Creating an itinerary for a trip through all of Italy is an activity we did in our Italy Discovery Box (read more about that here.) This gave her a template for an itinerary just for Rome, and then we expanded upon that.
Third- my toddler is doing all of these activities and reading these books right alongside us! I love having books that my toddler can really enjoy as well so that she’s included. (And if you also have a toddler and you’re looking for more travel themed books specifically for toddlers, check out my post here.
Rome: A Book of Days is available on Amazon here.
Good Night Italy by Adam Gamble
I LOVE the Good Night series by Adam Gamble. Written in a rhyming format, they’re great for toddlers and preschoolers alike, However, it also includes very specific places within a country or a region and I LOVE that.
The specific detail makes these books a step above other board books in terms of teaching children about these locations. This book includes famous sites in Rome like the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, but also includes places outside of Rome like Naples, Sicily, and Tuscany.
(One thing to note: it does include an illustration of Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam with a bit of unnecessary detail for a board book. I honestly don’t think my daughter has even noticed it, but just a heads up.)
It’s available on Amazon here.
Our World: Italy by Francesca Di Marzo
Ok, I’m going to be honest here. I was a bit disappointed in this book at first. I was hoping for more cultural sites initially and this book just doesn’t have them. HOWEVER, what it does a great job of is walking through a typical day in an Italian family.
It really emphasizes the commonalities that cultures share. My daughter was really drawn to things she related to in this book like playing soccer and eating pasta.
She also really liked that it included Italian words in it. She was excited to learn how to count to three in Italian and how to say good morning.
However, I did feel like the book was pretty generic and wasn’t incredibly specific to Italy. They woke up, ate breakfast, played in the park, came home, and went to bed. Just like every other child’s book that goes through a typical rhythm of the day. I wish it had more to do with Italy itself, BUT my daughter really enjoyed seeing what she recognized in her own day to day life while also learning a few Italian words, so it made the list. (Ok- it made her list of books she loved. I could personally skip it.)
So if you’re looking for a book to help children recognize what they might have in common with other parts of the world, this is a good one for that. It’s available on Amazon here.
But if you’re looking for a book that introduces very specific things about Italy- skip this one.
Best Fiction About Italy for Preschoolers
Magic Postcard: Italy
I LOVE these books, and this series is definitely one of my favorites I turn to when looking for travel-themed books for my preschooler.
A pair of siblings will receive a magic postcard and go on a whirlwind trip with each other. (Think Magic Treehouse, but without the time travel.)
In this book they visit famous sites throughout Italy including Rome, Florence, Venice, and Pisa.
The siblings take pictures along the way as souvenirs that honestly look a lot like the iconic sites matching cards I made for my preschooler, and she really enjoyed that. (If you’re interested in the matching cards, they’re available on my Teachers Pay Teachers site here and be sure to check out this post for ideas on how to use them!)
This one definitely has more text than the board books, but the full page and full color illustrations keep the attention of younger preschoolers.
It’s available on Amazon here.
Magic Treehouse: Vacation under the Volcano
If your preschooler is ready for a bit more of a challenge, consider trying Magic Treehouse books. I honestly have some mixed feelings on Magic Treehouse books- they can be pretty hit or miss. But my daughter seems to really love them.
In this one, Jack and Annie have to go back to Pompeii the day Vesuvius erupts to find an ancient scroll. I don’t know- the plot kind of lost me at this point. And then they have to get out in time (obviously). And to be totally honest- the way they are rescued from Pompeii really lost me.
BUT my daughter loved it. I paraphrased A LOT and we still haven’t really touched on how devastating the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius was in terms of loss of lives. But even if you’re not paraphrasing, it still handled the topic in a way that young elementary schoolers could handle I believe.
But my preschooler loves the idea of visiting Pompeii and walking the streets, so she was really excited to read about Jack and Annie’s experience in Pompeii.
And if you’re looking for more information, Magic Treehouse also has a non-fiction companion to this book which I think would be suitable for elementary school students.
Vacation Under the Volcano is available on Amazon here.
Best Nonfiction About Italy for Preschoolers
Countries of the World: Italy and Country Profiles: Italy
Both of these books are from Blastoff- a publishing company that I frequently turn to when I’m looking for a nonfiction introduction to a topic.
Countries of the World: Italy is geared for slightly younger kids. The font is large, key words are bolded, and there’s only a sentence or two of text on each page.
Country Profiles: Italy is meant for slightly older kids, but my preschooler still loved looking at all the pictures and talking about it. Instead of a sentence or two, each page has about a paragraph of text and the information is more detailed.
Both however include real, full-color images that my daughter LOVED looking at. Both also talk about different aspects of Italy including customs, food, architecture, and physical geography, making them great tie-ins to our Italy preschool unit.
And if you are interested in our Italy homeschool unit that I made for my preschooler (and that my toddler tagged along for), don’t forget to check out that post here!
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