Amber Stewart (1)

I grabbed this book because I have a grandson who loves cars, trucks, planes and boats. The Van Go family (a family of red pandas) has decided to go around the world for summer break. They use and see a variety of transportation methods as they drive across Europe, and then fly to Asia, the United States (New York), Africa, and Australia/New Zealand.

The illustrations are a fun and cute cartoon style that kids should find interesting, but they are so busy and I found them a bit distracting. The family started their trip by driving their blue van across Europe from England to Turkey. They take rides on buses, metros and boats as they tour cities they stop in, as well as having a book or journal to compare things such as taxis in various countries. They also take planes and other transport methods as they go beyond Europe. My complaint was that there was too much tied up in this little book. Things were mentioned and there was a small picture but then they moved on. I would have loved to have seen them in a rickshaw or tuk-tuk in India, and I can’t believe the creators passed up those opportunities. I really don't think this book lived up to its title. Despite these areas of disappointment, the book does introduce many types of transportation all over the world. My grandson wanted to know what the various types of transportation were called and used for, if I had ever used them, if he would ever get the chance to ride in them, but he was not really interested in this story. This is not one I would necessarily recommend. The publisher, Quarto Publishing Group - QEB, generously provided me with a copy of this book. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.… (mehr)

If you're a babysitter and need to break the ice with the children you are watching, then this could be a potentially great story for just that! It has just how children feel sometimes when parents leave for a evening out. My kids still feel it when their daddy and I go out for an evening and they are 11, 10, and 6! Perfect examples of how to distract a child from thinking about their parents being gone for evening. Generally a good read I believe for even Pre-K children who are having a hard time separating from parents when they are brought to school.… (mehr)