I had the pleasure to discover GoogleLitTrips.com, a website that offers free downloadable files that mark the journeys of characters from famous literature on the surface of Google Earth. Or as they say “3-dimensionalize the reading experience by placing readers inside the story traveling alongside the characters.

Indeed, few things can bring a book to life more than a virtual trip around the actual places it depicts. This is exactly what GoogleLitTrips.com does.  Many teachers and literature lovers have devoted their brain power to develop virtual trips around Google Earth. These “Google lit trips”  take you around  locations of scenes in well-known and popular books for kids and adults of all ages.  The site’s organized by grade levels, books range from K-5, 6-8, 9-12, Hi Ed to Special Projects.

I really only checked k-5 so far and was so excited about all the books that one can find there. Some of the books include:

  • Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
  • Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
  • Pedro’s Journal
  • Flotsam by David Wiesner

Immediately, I downloaded the Google Earth file for Flotsam, which has got to be one of my favorite wordless books. The artwork in Flotsam is truly extraordinary.  The funny thing about Flotsam is that the locations are totally made up of course. You’re taken to an imaginary voyage through all the places in the world where the camera could have washed ashore. Nevertheless, the fact of going through this virtual tour, made the story all the more real to both of us.

Super Hero and I really enjoyed our Flotsam lit trip, and we’re looking forward to exploring more such lit tours!  We hope you will enjoy these lit trips too!

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