Thursday, July 10, 2014

Pack These Picture Books

Great Picture Books to Take on Summer Vacation Trips
Even though you’re trying to keep your packing to “just what we’ll need”  remember to take along some picture books for the younger children.  Vacation trips are made for books rich in detail, or lengthier than usual, as you have time to relax over a book.  You’ll also want to take books that can bear repeated readings: stories and illustrations that reveal new layers of meaning and detail each time they are read.  Match books to destinations, to whet appetites and prepare for what you’re going to experience.  The following books should hold up well.  




 Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm   Details the wide variety of animals, both tame and wild, that occupy tranquil Maple Hill Farm.  We learn about the individual dogs, cats, sheep, geese, horses, cows, and wildlife that surround the tranquil farm.  From Max the Cat to Pearl the Pig, the veritable menagerie of animals’ behavior is detailed in simple language with full pages of detailed illustration bringing to mind Richard Scarry’s Busy World.

 Are any of the World’s Biggest on your trip’s itinerary – Mt. Rushmore, or the Jolly Green Giant?   In The Giant Ball of String, the town of Rumpus Ridge has accumulated the World’s Largest Ball of String.  But then catastrophe strikes - a storm blows it downriver to another town The residents of Rumpus Ridge devise a complicatedly humorous scheme to retrieve their pride and joy.  Geisert draws from a bird’s eye view, illustrations in a world in miniature to pore over as we follow along in this wordless story.

 Chester the Worldly Pig   Like many of us, Chester longs for fame.  He just knows he is meant for more than ending up as somebody’s ham sandwich.  So off he trots to join the circus. The talented pig  becomes famous and has exciting and scary adventures encountering lions, bears, hobos, butchers and carnival owners.  Bill Peet’s books are quite lengthy for picture books, with realistic colored pencil drawings complementing humorous stories that will delight all ages.


Adele & Simon in America   In turn of the century America, Parisian siblings Adele and Simon take a cross country trip,  stopping in various cities of historical interest.  Sharp eyes can also keep a look out for young Simon’s  belongings as he loses them along the way.
 Mossy  A garden of water plants grows on the back of  Mossy,  a beautiful box turtle. She is taken to a nearby nature museum by an admiring scientist and her niece as a very special exhibit .  Sadly, Mossy pines to return to her pond and friends.  The scientist’s niece devises an original way to show Mossy to the museum visitors after she has been released back into her natural habitat.  Brett’s lush pictures with her trademark borders will provide hours of delightful examination as we explore both the nature center and the home Mossy has left behind. 


Munschworks   These treasuries contain 5 or so stories about kids getting in and out of trouble.  Breezy and humorous, the misadventures become even more hilarious with large bold illustrations.  Luckily, the humor never pales, as they will surely be requested over and over.


Camping Trip That Changed America   Taking a car trip out West to visit some of our spectacular National Parks?  Read about how they all began, with this picture book version of Teddy Roosevelt & John Muir’s successful  attempts to save our wilderness.

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