With the Covid-19 pandemic having prompted intermittent lockdowns and travel restrictions over the past 16 months, discovering India and the world through physical travel has been denied to most households. Here are some well-written books to introduce children to India and the world’s most popular cities, writes Cynthia John

A To Z of Indian Cities: Ahmedabad to Zunheboto
by Rati Malaiya
Publisher: Harper’s Children’s Books
Price: ₹299

This tome guides you through 26 Indian cities. Illustrated with colourful maps, it highlights the best of each city, and provides useful nuggets about interesting places to visit, things to do, shopping and dining advice. India hosts a smorgasbord of cities and visiting each one is a new experience. With international travel restricted, this is the right time for children to discover the cities of India and appreciate their rich varied cultural and historical heritage.

Lucidly written and packed with information, A to Z of Indian Cities is a great introduction for children to learn about India’s major cities as well as smaller, quaint habitats worth visiting, even if through the print medium.

The Secret of Snallygaster
by Rishi Piparaiya
Publisher: Imaginara Legacies
Price: ₹495
Exploring world famous landmarks through a compelling story is perfect for armchair travelling. This adventure tale of two children, Tara and Neil who are desperate to save a magical creature, named Snallygaster, during their holiday in Washington DC, takes readers to the city’s famous museums, landmarks and monuments as the duo find clues to save Snallygaster. Written as an engaging adventure tale containing fantasy, mystery and intrigue, it also provides readers useful information about the American national capital’s many historical landmarks.

The author, an avid traveller, has visited almost 40 countries and 55 international cities over five months in 2019. The fruit of these travels were converted into a book series, Cities of Adventure, of which The Secret of Snallygaster is one volume. Other volumes in the series explore more cities seen through the eyes of Tara and Neil.

Me on the Map
by Joan Sweeney
Publisher: Dragonfly Books
Price: ₹308
This book is ideal to introduce young children to the world of cartography. Most children may not instantly connect with a complex map. But Me on the Map simplifies map reading for three-seven year olds through easy exercises — a map of ‘my room,’ followed by maps of ‘my house,’ ‘my street’ and a child’s sketch of ‘my town.’ This colourfully illustrated book by Qin Leng demystifies maps and enables children to develop the important skill of reading and navigating through maps.