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The cutest, wittiest, rhyming children’s book that cleverly highlights the ideal holiday for a range of animals.
What if animals took vacations too?
And if they did, where would they go? Can you guess where a turtle would travel? Or what a kangaroo might do? Each animal would surely choose someplace perfect for them. Readers will find out … and also learn a surprising fact about each animal!
Don’t be fooled by the names of this book. Where Do Animals Go for Vacation? By Steve Erickson is a cute little picture book that gets children thinking about where they themselves would like to go on holiday. It does this by first planting the query in their heads before exploring different destination options though the perspectives of other animals. The exploration is conducted rather cleverly without breaking rhyme as it looks at the animal’s usual habitat and flips it on its head by suggesting they would like to spend their vacation in somewhere that is completely different from the norm yet has their creature comforts at hand.
They’d pick a resort that met all their wishes,
Like endless cheese crackers shaped like orange fishes,
And tasty squid smoothies to drink through long straws
While watching non-stop showings of “Jaws.”
Each animal is dedicated a poem of either two or three four-line stanzas. These see Erickson describing sharks at resorts chomping on fish shaped crackers, whilst the ostrich tries its hands at hang gliding, and chatty parrots head off to a quiet nook at the library. Other animals include the kangaroo, giraffe, armadillos, and sloths. There really is quite the range, with some of the destinations for them literally being out of this world.
(They’d need ginormous spacesuits
For their huge bodies and long snoots.)
Using the A, A, B, B, rhyming scheme, the author does amazingly well to keep rhyming, especially when using words like satellite and crustacean. Furthermore, at the end of each segment, the author adds a little quip about the animal in question, which also adheres strictly to the rhyming scheme that has been adopted. I particularly liked the additional educational element that Erickson incorporated. Each animal is afforded a double page spread which generally consists of one page of text and one page with a large accompanying picture of the animal on their ideal vacation. (Here, I should note that the multi-talented Erickson illustrated the book themselves and did so beautifully in what might be watercolor). However, (moving on), one corner is designed to look like it is being peeled back, and in small font, it provides an interesting fact about the animal being discussed.
Crustaceans have a hard but flexible “exoskeleton” or shell that they shed and regrow as they age.
Reading the book reminded me of British author, Kes Gray, who writes the Oi X series, e.g., Oi Frog! and Oi Cat! Where Do Animals Go for Vacation? is a witty and funny book that will undoubtedly be enjoyed by children from birth through to around eight or nine years of age. For younger children it is a soothing melody as their caregiver reads to them, whilst for older children, it is an introduction to rhythm, rhyme, and phonics in a way similar to that in the Usborne reader series. This is a wonderful book that would be at home in schools, libraries, playgroups and of course, home. I highly recommend this read!
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Hey Fellow Reader, I'm quite the bookworm. As such, I'm never without a good book on my phone, under my pillow, and tucked in my bag. I think we'll get along just fine. Here's to sharing reviews that could create our next love affair with a series of pages. Tips & submissions very welcome ;p
Synopsis
What if animals took vacations too?
And if they did, where would they go? Can you guess where a turtle would travel? Or what a kangaroo might do? Each animal would surely choose someplace perfect for them. Readers will find out … and also learn a surprising fact about each animal!
About the author
After graduating from Drake University with a Fine Arts degree, I worked more than forty years in the advertising industry, first as an art director and then as a creative director. Recently retired, I now live near my three sons and six grandchildren in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with my dog Alex. view profile
Published on November 07, 2023
Published by Atmosphere Press
2000 words
Worked with a Reedsy professional 🏆
Genre: Picture Books
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