Geography World Map Atlas Books for Kids in Chinese and English
I’m really excited to share our collection of world atlas books in Chinese and English for elementary school and preschool students! Geography has been surprisingly fun for my kids to learn bilingually, thanks to gorgeous map books! Since my kids are fascinated by animals, we also have a few animal atlas books that your kids might love, too!
Each of these Montessori-friendly books have real photos or realistic illustrations. Since I am part-time homeschooling my children, I got various English and Chinese world atlas books for us to learn together. (I need a refresher!)
These world atlas books are geared for children ages 5 to 12 years. It’s hard to give an exact age because every child learns at a different pace. I recommend pairing these books with a world globe or the Montessori felt world map.
I’ll share pictures and details to see which geography books work best for your family! I’ll also note which books are compatible with Luka Reading Robot!
I hope that you’ll be able to find these world atlas books in your favorite library or bookstore!
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Montessori Geography World Map Atlas Books in Chinese and English
National Geographic: Wild Animal Atlas 美国国家地理·世界野生动物地图集 / 國家地理世界野生動物百科地圖
This is my daughter’s favorite atlas, and my son loves to explore the photos, too! The atlas features physical maps only – no political maps. Although the reading level is challenging for her, she is motivated to learn the details about habitats and endangered species worldwide.
Red dots next to animals indicate that they are endangered; this visual indicator was helpful for my toddler to be part of the discussion about how the animal population changes over time.
- Where to buy:
- Simplified Chinese / ISBN: 9787539758930
- Traditional Chinese / ISBN: 9789868737495
- English / ISBN: 9781426306990
Usborne Animal Picture Atlas 动物地图
The Usborne Animal Picture Atlas is my toddler’s favorite. My elementary school-aged child loves it, too! The information and text are relatively focused compared to the other atlases in this post.
The book is divided into two sections:
- The first part features physical and political maps of each continent and ocean with associated animals. Countries like India and Taiwan are labeled). In the corner of each double page, a small world map shows the region of focus.
- The second part features different animal types, such as monkeys and apes, big cats, bears, birds, river dwellers, and ocean dwellers.
- Where to buy:
- Simplified Chinese / ISBN: 9787556806812
- English / ISBN: 9780794520830
- Audio narration: The second part of the book is compatible with Luka Reading Robot
Barefoot Books World Atlas 跟爸爸一起去旅行地图绘本:世界地图
This beautifully illustrated world atlas focuses on communities and cultures around the world related to their environment.
A mini world map in the corner of each page gives context for each country and continent featured. Many pages have additional flaps of information. The North Pole is included.
However, reviews raise concerns about errors. For example, Mexico is excluded from North America and instead grouped with Central America. This is inconsistent with publications like Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Despite conflicting information, since our Luka reading robot can read this book in fluent Mandarin, it’s still helpful for us. This highlights the importance of checking different resources while learning and teaching our children to analyze presented information carefully.
- Where to buy:
- Audio narration: Compatible with Luka Reading Robot
Maps
The Maps book by Daniel Mizielinska is very popular with homeschoolers! It is illustrated with country borders, big cities, rivers, mountains, historical landmarks, and iconic animals.
While I understand they can’t include every country, seeing significant absences in the English version was disappointing.
For example, in the Asia section, Korea is excluded, and Taiwan is just a blank, unlabeled island next to China. In Africa and South America, many countries are also skipped over. This book has different editions, and the special edition includes more countries, but Amazon reviews still have complaints.
Here are a couple of close-up photos of this world map book.
Other parents told me that the traditional Chinese version features a full-size map of Taiwan! I’m always fascinated by how the content can vary among different publishers.
- Where to buy:
- English / ISBN: 9780763668969
- English / ISBN: 9781783708048
- Traditional Chinese / ISBN: 9789864791415
Montessori World Atlas books in English
Around the World From A to Z
Written by Christina Cheung and Han Tran and illustrated by Tong Wu, this book is a Montessori dream! The hardcover book features slightly textured sandpaper letters and countries with fun sports facts.
The letters are in standard Montessori colors (consonants = red, vowels = blue), just like the globe (orange = North America, pink = South America, red = Europe, yellow = Asia, green = Africa, brown = Australia).
Parents and teachers seeking inclusive resources will be happy to see diverse sports and people on each page!
- Where to buy
- English / ISBN: 9780989014038
National Geographic World Atlas
As usual, National Geographic books are always a big hit!
Compared to our Chinese version above, this version focuses more on physical features and general statistics about culture and language in each continent.
Regarding Taiwan, the caption on Asia’s page says, “The People’s Republic of China claims Taiwan as its 23rd province. Taiwan’s government (Republic of China) maintains two political entities.
- Where to buy:
- English hardcover / ISBN: 9781426331992
More bilingual geography resources for kids
- Montessori Geography Printables and Hands-On Materials for Kids
- Montessori Animals and Continents Activities (Chinese, Korean, English)
Do you have any of these English or Chinese World Atlas books?
Please share your favorites in the comments below so other parents and teachers can learn, too!
Chinese books for kids
- For all book recommendations, explore our favorite Chinese books for kids!
- If you’re wondering where to buy children’s books, click here for the best online Chinese bookstores!
