The setting in the book is where the story takes place. Knowing the physical location of the action helps set the tone of the book. A strong setting also allows the reader to visit someplace new without having to leave his or her chair.

Why read books with strong settings?

Reading children's books with distinct sense of setting may be useful in many ways.

1. If you are an educator, you may use these books to reinforce lessons, for example country or state units.

2. If you are planning a trip, use them to help your children get a sense of the culture and look of an area in advance. Reading about the area will likely give the travel experience more depth. Or, you may want to pick up some of these books if you've gone on a trip and want to help your children remember details and/or investigate the area further.

3. These lists could be useful for reading groups or book clubs who want to read their way through a particular region, such as the countries of Europe or each of the 50 United States.

4. Reading books about your home state, province, or country can generate local pride and knowledge.

5. If you are a writer or studying language arts, you might want to investigate how other writers have handled settings.

Are you the type of person who skips over the descriptions of settings when you read? You won't want to do that with these books. When the setting is well-developed, it is like one of the characters.

Right now, only the 50 United States are available (see left column). More regions will be added as the website is developed.

Links to Amazon are provided to allow for easy access to more information about the book, including the ISBN and reviews.

If you have suggestions for books with strong settings, please feel free to contact us.