These guidebooks? They’re ‘Not for Parents’

Lonely Planet travel guides have long been packed into suitcases bound for all points on the globe. Now the decades-old publisher is reaching out to children with a new Not-for-Parents series that explores the people, places, history and culture of various destinations.

The illustrated books, which arrived in stores this month, encompass five titles so far: a travel book about the entire world and four others devoted to New York, London, Paris and Rome.

“They’re not guidebooks in the way you think of our normal guidebooks,” said Piers Pickard, the publishing director for Lonely Planet. “They don’t review famous places. They’re not giving you advice.

“One of the things Lonely Planet stands for is curiosity about the world. Whether that exploration is physical or mental or imaginative, those are the things we wanted to do with these books. The idea is to bring the cities to life.”

“Not for Parents: Rome,” for example, includes trivia about the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, as well as gladiators, gelato, parking (or the lack thereof) and why people drive the way they do. “Not for Parents: New York” includes fun facts about the New York Police Department, Sesame Street and pizza by the slice.

“It’s about the whole experience,” Pickard said, “so kids can get a sense of what the city is like rather than where they have to go.”

Not for Parents is available in 12 languages. The city guidebooks cost $14.99; the world book costs $19.99. The series is expected to expand next year with titles devoted to entire countries.