If bedtime stories are part of your daily routine, consider any of the following twenty-five children’s books about Thailand. These favourites include children’s storybooks, travel guides especially for kids, as well as children’s Thai language books and colouring books about Thailand. Love elephants? Find a great variety of books for all ages. Enjoy!
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25 Children’s Books about Thailand
Kids’ story books about Thailand
1. Mystery of the Golden Temple: Thailand
Winner of 2017’s Literary Classics Gold (Best Series – Young Reader) and a 2014 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award Winner (Best Chapter Book Series). If your child has an inner Nancy Drew, they’ll love this Thailand-based adventure. Ages 6-9. Available in Kindle and paperback.
Tip! You get a free book when you sign up for an Audible trial with Amazon. This book is just over 90 minutes in audiobook format so it’s ideal for entertaining kids during travel.
2. Aya & Bobby Discover Thailand
Available in paperback and for Kindle. “On this adventure to Thailand, Aya and Bobby discover the bustling city of Bangkok travelling by Tuk Tuk and long-tail boat. They also spend time on one of the gorgeous beaches of Thailand and enjoy the activities and sites with ice cream, shark spotting and making new friends.”
3. Mela and the Elephant
2019 Colorado Book Award Finalist and recognized in The 50 Best Multicultural Picture Books of 2018
4. The Umbrella Queen
A sweet and inspiring story set in the hills of Thailand, with beautiful illustrations. Available in hardback. Suitable for Kindergarten through Grade 3 or 4 to 8 years.
5. Thai Children’s Favorite Stories
Thai Children’s Favorite Stories: Fables, Myths, Legends and Fairy Tales. “The nine charming stories in this book feature clever princesses, warring gods and goddesses, foolish kings, and wily tigers, against a backdrop of traditional Thai village life. They deal with the universal values that parents everywhere want to teach their children, such as good versus evil, right versus wrong, and wisdom versus foolishness.” Available in hardback and for Kindle. Ideal for grade levels: 1 – 5.
6. Hush! A Thai Lullaby
A Caldecott Honor Book: A lullaby bedtime story for young children set in a sleepy Thai village. Available in paperback. Suitable for preschool through age 5.
7. Elephants of Thailand: The Smiling Elephant
“A true elephant rescue story, written especially for kids! A touching true story of Chang, a baby elephant and his adventures as he is rescued from captivity.” Age Level: 3 – 8.
8. Toy is from Thailand
A delightful way to introduce children to Thai culture – as described by ‘Toy’, a young boy of their age. Ages 4-12. Available in paperback.
9. Mosha the Elephant Who Just Would Not Give Up
“The touching true story of an elephant who overcame a difficult challenge, only to learn how to help others.”
10. The Girl Who Wore Too Much
A folktale from Thailand. “This legend from Thailand will teach readers the importance of caring, respect and responsibility.” Ages 5 – 8 years
11. Elephants of the Tsunami
“A fictional account based on a true story involving eight working elephants of Thailand, who, during the 2004 South Asian tsunami, rescued fifty or more people”
12. Peek! Thai Hide-and-Seek
“A delightful companion to ‘Hush! A Thai Lullaby'” (see above). Ages preschool through grade 2.
13. Tua and the Elephant
Ideal for kids who love animals. “Pure adventure” (The New York Times). A bedtime story for children ages 3-7, ideal for animal-loving kids in particular. Available as a ‘real’ book and also for Kindle.
14. Am I Small?
English-Thai bilingual children’s picture book. Am I small? Chan taw lek hrux? by Philipp Winterberg, available in Kindle and paperback. Ideal for Grade Levels: 1 – 2.
15. B Is for Bangkok
A child’s day in Bangkok: Explore a typical day of a child living in Bangkok. Bilingual English/Thai book for children ages 5-8.
16. Evie and Andrew’s Adventures in Thailand
Features beautiful illustrations and is available in paperback.
Kids’ travel guides for Thailand
17. All About Thailand
Stories, songs, crafts and games for kids. A fun introduction to Thailand for kids. Part children’s encyclopedia, part activity book, this hardcover book is a wonderful and engaging way to introduce children to future Thailand travel. 2017 Creative Child Magazine Book of the Year Award Winner.
18. Travel for Kids: Thailand
“Whether preparing for a vacation, or simply wanting to learn about Thai, this book gives you all you need to know, fun places to visit, tasty food to try, and fun, interactive pop quizzes throughout.” Available in paperback and for Kindle.
19. Kids’ Travel Guide – Thailand
The fun way to discover Thailand – especially for kids. “No matter where you visit in Thailand – kids enjoy fascinating facts, fun activities, useful tips, quizzes and Leonardo (your child’s tour guide)!” Available in Kindle and paperback.
20. A Kid’s Guide to Thailand
“An easy-to-read book jam-packed with colourful photographs, fun facts, charts and maps”
Thai language books for kids
21. Thai Picture Dictionary
“A fun and helpful resource for anyone interested in learning some Thai—whether you’re 5 or 100!”
22. First 50 Words in Thai Coloring Book
An educational colouring book for kids. “Kids will love First 50 Words in Thai colouring, a jumbo book that’s packed with 50 pages of fun! The appealing artwork–with its heavy, chunky black lines are eye-catching and child-friendly. Your little one will soon learn some essential first Thai words and pictures to colour up. This book is sure to engage little ones for hours!” Ideal for grade levels: 2 – 3.
23. Master the Thai Alphabet
A kid-friendly workbook for children learning to write the Thai alphabet. Available in paperback.
Thailand colouring books
24. Thailand Escape
A detailed colouring book featuring thirty illustrations with five fold-out posters. “[Discover] all the hidden attractions Thailand has to offer. With unique attractions such as cheeky monkeys, religious relics and awe-inspiring flowers, you’ll want to colour this book from front to back.”
25. Magical Thailand
A Thailand colouring book suitable for both children and adults. Features seventeen illustrations. Available in paperback.
More children’s resources for Thailand
Whether you’re planning a family trip to Thailand or want to online-window-shop for some wonderful books and kids’ games, you’ll find my favourites right here:
- Koh Samui: The top 10 family activities
- My favourites: Kids’ stuff for Thailand
- More books: The best books about Thailand
P.S. You can find every tip for Thailand family travel in the archive, or subscribe by email and get all the details straight to your inbox. Enjoy!
