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Vacation Books That Make Tracks
By
Karen Mendez Smith
April 1, 2003
Otto
Goes To The Beach |
On
The Road Again
Vacation books for ages 2-8 take the high road with RATTLETRAP
CAR by Phyllis Root (Candlewick) and OTTO GOES
TO THE BEACH by Todd Parr, the first in a new series from
Megan Tingley Books/Little Brown. Backseat boundary battles rise
to a fever pitch in the riotous RIDE by author/illustrator
Stephen Gammell (Silver Whistle).
Literary Lions
Safari
Journal |
Ages 10 and up will walk on the wild side with JACKIE’S
WILD SEATTLE by Will Hobbs (HarperCollins) in which a girl
and her brother find adventure in a wildlife refuge. Twelve-year-old
Casey travels to Kenya with his wacky aunt and finds it’s
not so boring after all in SAFARI JOURNAL by Hudson
Talbot from Silver Whistle. Middle-graders will want to experience
the eye-opening road trip adventure THE RULES OF THE ROAD
by Joan Bauer (G.P Putnam’s & Sons). Also, a 15-year-old
girl and her father get to know each other when they travel to Nova
Scotia in Paula Fox’s THE MOONLIGHT MAN,
from Dell.
Princess
In Waiting |
Beach Reads
When they’re not surfing the Internet or highlighting
their hair, teens with time on their hands will cherish OUR
TIME ON THE RIVER (Houghton-Mifflin) by Don Brown, the
story of two brothers who take a rafting trip before one leaves
for Vietnam. Another riveting read is A COALITION OF LIONS
by Elizabeth E. Wein (Viking) in which a princess travels to find
political intrigue as well as love in 6th century Africa. We can’t,
of course, forget to tuck a few older series in our beach bag. PRINCESS
IN WAITING (HarperCollins) is Meg Cabot’s 4th sure-to-satisfy
book, and Ann Brasheres’ SECOND SUMMER OF THE SISTERHOOD
(Delacorte) portrays the 16th summer of the popular sisterhood.
Storied
City: A Children's Book Guide To New York |
Are We There Yet?
With punch-out cars and 13 interconnected mazes, kids of all ages
will keep busy en route with SeaStar’s MAZESCAPES
by Roxie Munroe. All the trivia basics are found in THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: STATE BY STATE GUIDE (Scholastic)
by Millee Miller. Look up everything you didn’t already know
in Diane Siebert’s TOUR AMERICA (SeaStar),
which shows us some of the country’s most celebrated cities.
New York City-bound of all ages will find STORIED CITY:
A CHILDREN’S BOOK GUIDE TO NEW YORK (Dutton’s)
by Leonard Marcus is a great way to spend some quality family time.
It has 20 walking tours inspired by children’s books.
Happy summer reading!
Writer's
Bio: Karen Mendez Smith has been involved in children's
media for over twenty years as a literary agent, writer, and creator
of animated television and film. Co-founder of Satori Organics and
M/Path Press, she is a parent to eight children and five incredible
grandchildren (and counting).
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