Children's books for a family trip to Florida

Children's books for a family trip to Florida, from a stray dog in a small Florida town to the burrowing owls of the Everglades.

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A story set where you are headed can turn the journey into part of the trip. For Florida, that means children's books by authors and illustrators from Florida, starting with Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. Below are three books worth packing, each available in English with links to find them at Bookshop.org or Amazon.

Best Florida classic
Because of Winn-Dixie
Kate DiCamillo · ages 8-11 · chapter book

A lonely girl and a stray dog change a small Florida town over one summer, by an author who grew up in Florida.

Best older-child read
Hoot
Carl Hiaasen · ages 9-12 · novel

Three kids fight to save a colony of burrowing owls from a pancake-house development, by a native Floridian; a Newbery Honor book.

Best nature pick
Everglades
Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Wendell Minor · ages 6-10 · picture book

A lyrical journey by boat through the history and wildlife of the Florida Everglades.

Florida's children's canon leans middle-grade, and the state's genuine local authors (Kate DiCamillo, Carl Hiaasen) write for slightly older readers. Orlando's theme parks have no children's-book tradition of their own, so these are real Florida stories rather than park tie-ins.

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