28 Charming Books About Paris for Kids

Vive la France! Join a girl and her grandfather on a walking tour through Paris. Follow them as they climb to the top of Notre Dame—formidable!—sample tasty treats at bistros and pâtisseries—délicieux!—and take in a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower—magnifique! 

Young francophiles and armchair travelers will be charmed by Salvatore Rubbino’s lively, sophisticated illustrations and fascinating trivia about this beloved city.

With the same wit and perception that distinguished his charming books on London, New York, and San Francisco, here this famous Czech painter presents his impressions of Paris in This Is Paris, first published in 1959 and now updated for the 21st century. 

We see its famous buildings, its beautiful gardens, the museums, the sidewalk cafes, and the people who live there -- artists, the concierges, the flower girls, and even the thousands of cats.

Take a tour along the banks of the Seine, or through the galleries of the Louvre, or to the top of the Eiffel Tower.  Elegant, vivid pictures of one of the most beautiful cities in the world, This is Paris!

Shop a fancy France-y store. Eat a pretty petit four. Discover! Sightsee! Explore! On this fun and friendly tour, everybody says “Bonjour!”

Whether at a soccer stadium (“players scoring”), a crêpe stand (“batter pouring”), or strolling the Champs d’ Elysee (where folks “bonjour” in every store), a little girl and her family are welcomed everywhere with the signature French greeting.

Jump into these pages and enjoy the trip! Through lilting words and lively images, Everybody Bonjours welcomes young reader-travelers to a Paris that isn’t just for artists, grown-ups, and dreamers– it’s for kids!

Nothing frightens Madeline—not tigers, not even mice. With its endearing, courageous heroine, cheerful humor, and wonderful, whimsical drawings of Paris, the Madeline stories are true classics that continue to charm readers, even after 75 years!

A new picture book about the iconic artist Claude Monet, from the Caldecott-Award winning team that created The Noisy Paint Box.

Claude Monet is one of the world's most beloved artists--and he became famous during his own lifetime. He rejected a traditional life laid out clean and smooth before him. Instead he chose a life of art. But not just any art: a new way of seeing that came to be called impressionism.

On an island in the Seine, a little girl plants a garden―but not a garden of flowers. It will be a garden of people, she says: Paris. And in the center of that garden will stand its guardian, a grand cathedral carved from stone and roofed with light: the majestic Notre Dame de Paris.

Alas, the garden will change, as people must. The girl sees kings and revolutions, empires and democracies, wars and tragedies. The are the best of times, and there are the worst.

Through it all, the light of Notre Dame keeps hope bright. But when fire strikes Notre Dame itself, the little girl is grief stricken. It seems all light has gone out―until her beloved people discover what she has planted within them all along.

Monsieur Degas likes to paint the students while they practice in ballet class―they’ve inspired many of his beautiful paintings. But one day he mistakenly leaves his bag of paints in the dance studio and instead takes a young ballerina’s bag, which contains her new tutu for the evening’s recital!

And so the ballerina begins a great chase to find Degas before her big night. As she searches the streets of Paris, the ballerina encounters many other Impressionist painters, who are in the process of painting some of their great works. Monet, Renoir, Caillebotte, and Cassatt help the ballerina until she is reunited, at last, with Degas.

Anatole is a most honorable mouse. When he realizes that humans are upset by mice sampling their leftovers, he is shocked! He must provide for his beloved family--but he is determined to find a way to earn his supper. And so he heads for the tasting room at the Duvall Cheese Factory.

On each cheese, he leaves a small note--"good," "not so good," "needs orange peel"--and signs his name. When workers at the Duvall factory find his notes in the morning, they are perplexed--but they realize that this mysterious Anatole has an exceptional palate and take his advice. Soon Duvall is making the best cheese in all of Paris! 

Aya & Pete travel to Paris, the City of Light! After an early morning wake-up from Mommy, Aya has to get ready for her trip, but there's much to do before they get going. Thankfully, her buddy Pete is there to lend a hand! At the airport, Aya & Pete are greeted by friendly flight attendants as they get ready to fly to Paris. Once they arrive in Paris, Aya is intrigued by the new foods and colorful pastries she finds in a local Parisian café. Later, Aya and Pete set about exploring the sights of Paris, including the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Jardin du Luxembourg. And of course, no trip to Paris is complete without a view of the Eiffel Tower.

Here is the beguiling true story of the first giraffe ever to live in Europe. The year was 1826, and the giraffe belonged to the pasha of Egypt, who decided to give her as a gift to the king of France.

The giraffe journeyed first by boat to Marseilles, then on foot through the towns and villages of France, all the way to Paris. Her arrival in the capital was celebrated with a splendid royal parade, and everywhere she went she caused a sensation.

One day, a mysterious stranger arrives at a boardinghouse of the widow Gateau—a sad-faced stranger, who keeps to himself.

When the widow’s daughter, Mirette, discovers him crossing the courtyard on air, she begs him to teach her how he does it. But Mirette doesn’t know that the stranger was once the Great Bellini—master wire-walker. Or that Bellini has been stopped by a terrible fear. And it is she who must teach him courage once again. 

Emily Arnold McCully’s sweeping watercolor paintings carry the reader over the rooftops of nineteenth-century Paris and into an elegant, beautiful world of acrobats, jugglers, mimes, actors, and one gallant, resourceful little girl.

Simple songs and rhymes are an excellent way to familiarize young children with another language. Un Deux Trois a collection of 25 traditional nursery rhymes, is a delightful way to introduce French.

Julia and Simca are two young friends who agree that you can never use too much butter -- and that it is best to be a child forever.

Sharing a love of cooking and having no wish to turn into big, busy people who worry too much and dawdle too little, they decide to create a feast for growing and staying young.

A playful, scrumptious celebration of the joy of eating, the importance of never completely growing up and mastering the art of having a good time, Julia, Child is a fictional tale loosely inspired by the life and spirit of the very real Julia Child -- a story that should be taken with a grain of salt and a generous pat of butter.

Minette's Feast introduces the iconic American chef Julia Child to a new audience of young readers through the story of her spirited cat, Minette, whom Julia adopted when living in Paris.

While Julia is in the kitchen learning to master delicious French dishes, the only feast Minette is truly interested in is that of fresh mouse!

This lively story is complete with an author's note, a bibliography, and actual quotations from Julia Child and comes just in time for the 100th anniversary of her birth.

An infectious rhyming tale about courage, compassion and a stylish little mouse, from international fashion illustrator Megan Hess.

Claris: The Chicest Mouse in Paris follows an adorable mouse who dreams of moving to Paris to follow her fashion dreams. One day, she bravely takes the leap – only to find a mean little girl with a horrible-looking cat standing in the way of her perfect Parisian apartment! C

an Claris use all her wit, warmth and – of course – style to make her dreams come true?

When Simon's older sister, Adèle, picks him up from school, he has his hat and gloves and scarf and sweater, his coat and knapsack and books and crayons, and a drawing of a cat he made that morning. Adèle makes Simon promise to try not to lose anything.

But as they make their way home, distractions cause Simon to leave something behind at every stop. What will they tell their mother?

In this heartwarming and colorful story, a little girl named Lily travels around the world with her favorite companion, Baa - a little sheep with a curious mind and a big appetite!

A great read for preschool and kindergarten kids who are sure to be drawn to Lily & Baa as they hop and skip, hand in hand, exploring the brightly colored sights, unique sounds and delicious treats of wondrous cities around the world, beginning in Paris, France.

Piglette can be a bit particular by her siblings' standards. She always wants everything to be perfect. While her many brothers and sisters like rolling in the mud, Piglette prefers pampering in a mud bath.

While her siblings eat slop, Piglette prefers pastries. But what she's most passionate about is flowers. She loves to smell the lilies and lilacs in the pasture.

So Piglette decides her precise nose is destined for the perfume shops of Paris!

This charming rhyming book is a great introduction to the sights and culture of Paris.

The book begins by inviting the reader to come along on the journey and ends with a good night wish:

“Paris is a beautiful city in France; Please come visit, should you have the chance. The French call it Paree, and there is so much to see; Come with me and you’ll agree, it’s a great place to be!” At the end of our trip, au revoir and bonne nuit! Je t’aime my dear one, and je t’aime to Paree!”

Colorful and whimsical illustrations feature well-known landmarks such as: The Eiffel Tower, The Palais Garnier, The Louvre, Sacré-Coeur, Sainte-Chapelle, Notre Dame, the Luxembourg Gardens, the Arc de Triomphe, and more.

This city dog discovers he's flat-footed when it comes to herding sheep, has no snout for sniffing out truffles, and can barely pedal his bike when he gets into the Tour de France. 

It's only when he stops imitating the other dogs and follows his heart that Hudson discovers his own unique talent.

From the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Louis Pasteur, the French chemist and the father of modern medicine. 

Little Louis was born in France during a time when doctors were still trying to figure out what made people sick. During his teen years, he discovered a love for science and became famous for figuring out how to kill off damaging microbes.

Through his curiosity and creativity (and lots of trial and error), his research led to the development of vaccinations, a vital tool in today's world. 

The Little Prince is a modern fable, and for readers far and wide both the title and the work have exerted a pull far in excess of the book's brevity.

Written and published first by French author, Antoine de St-Exupéry, in 1943, only a year before his plane disappeared on a reconnaissance flight, it is one of the world's most widely translated books, enjoyed by adults and children alike.

While not exactly a book about Paris or France itself, this is essential reading for kids!

While adult readers can find deep meanings in the main character's various encounters, they can also be charmed back to childhood by this wise but innocent infant.

Joan of Arc, the Patron Saint of France, was born in a small French village during the worst period of the Hundred Years' War.

For generations, France had been besieged by the British. At age 11, Joan began to see religious visions telling her to join forces with the King of France.

By the time she was a teenager, she was leading troops into battle in the name of her country. Though she was captured and executed for her beliefs, Joan of Arc became a Catholic saint and has since captured the world's imagination.

Victor Hugo’s epic masterpiece is retold and illustrated by Marcia Williams in her signature comic-book style.

Travel back to nineteenth-century France with ex-convict Jean Valjean as he tries to put his criminal past behind him and his fate intertwines with the ruthless Inspector Javert, determined to put Valjean back behind bars; the poor factory worker Fantine, whose struggle to provide for her child leads to her death; her orphaned daughter, Cosette, whom Valjean saves from poverty and neglect; and Cosette’s besotted suitor, Marius.

As a revolution sweeps through Paris, can Valjean elude Javert and secure a happy life for Cosette before all is lost?

Follow their story in Marcia Williams’s entertaining and easily digestible retelling for young readers.

Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity.

But when his world suddenly interlocks--like the gears of the clocks he keeps--with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life and his most precious secret are put in jeopardy.

A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

Discover a new side of Paris, hidden in plain sight, with this beautifully illustrated guide to the city's smaller collections and best-kept secrets, from artists' studios to scientific museums.

A visit to Paris can often seem like a highlight reel -- the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, the Eiffel Tower. But Paris isn't only about the big attractions; in fact, some might say it's the offbeat destinations that hold the greatest treasures. 

The Little Museums of Paris takes a whimsical journey through these smaller destinations, from the fantastical to the bizarre, offering both a guide to the city and inspiration for armchair travelers.

This is the story of four puppies: Fi-Fi, Foo-Foo, Ooh-La-La, and Gaston.

Gaston works the hardest at his lessons on how to be a proper pooch. He sips—never slobbers! He yips—never yaps! And he walks with grace—never races! Gaston fits right in with his poodle sisters.

But a chance encounter with a bulldog family in the park—Rocky, Ricky, Bruno, and Antoinette—reveals there’s been a mix-up, and so Gaston and Antoinette switch places.

The new families look right…but they don’t feel right. Can these puppies follow their noses—and their hearts—to find where they belong?

Bonjour! Escargot is a beautiful French snail who wants only two things:

1. To be your favorite animal.2. To get to the delicious salad at the end of the book.

But when he gets to the salad, he discovers that there's a carrot in it. And Escargot hates carrots. But when he finally tries one―with a little help from you!―he discovers that it's not so bad after all.