Isabelle Demenge

I'm Isabelle Demenge, the author of the Leap & Hop series, travel books for children aged eight to twelve, written across eleven destinations from Cambodia to New York.

The series was born in Hong Kong, where I lived for ten years with my husband and our three young sons. Before our first family trip to Cambodia, I went looking for a kids' guide that would treat my children as travelers rather than passengers and couldn't find one. So I wrote it. Ten more followed.

Each book is part guide, part journal, part activity book. The first half introduces the place, its history, religion, language, currency, never dumbed down, just made theirs. The second half is the trip itself: scavenger hunts at the temples, I-spy at Angkor Wat, a quiz walk through Grand Central. When children take ownership of a trip, the whole family travels differently.

I trained as a lawyer in Paris before moving to New York, where I live with my family today. After many years of writing, I'm back to practicing law, now for a nonprofit organization in New York.

Wherever you and your kids are heading next — bon voyage!