Vacations

Travels with My Family

by Marie-Louise Gay and David Homel

A little boy’s parents like taking vacations “off the beaten path,” which usually means far away and where no one else’s parents take them on their vacations. Most of the time, the little boy has to end up saving them from one problem or other that comes from these “vacations.” One of these vacations is to Maine. The little boy’s father wants to go on the roads through the mountains, which usually means they will end up lost. His mother wants to see the beautiful scenery, which means the trip will take forever. During the trip, the cat, Miro, gets car sick and then tries to escape, a wasp stings the little boy’s brother, and his mother ends up having to talk Miro into coming out from under a blackberry bush. Then once they get to Maine, they find out about Hurricane Bob. The little boy’s father does not believe that the hurricane will hit Maine, but they go to the store to buy supplies, just in case. His parents think about leaving, but the storm hits before they can. Luckily, the hurricane messes up the neighbors’ house and not the one they are staying in. They decide that the water is too cold to swim in, and their parents decide to take them somewhere further south. The leave Miro at their grandmother’s house, and they are off on another adventure. They end up at a house on Tybee Island in Georgia. Both the little boy and his brother get paid to get little needlefish out of the fishermen’s nets, and they get to use the money to buy ice cream and the needle fish to make “needlefish ice cream cones (with mud). Then one day, their mother takes them out on “Little Tybee Island” that is only there when the tide is low. Unfortunately, the tide starts coming in before they can get back to the big island, and they all have to swim really hard to make it. Once they make it to shore, the little boy’s dad shows them the crabs her caught, and he does not notice the trouble that they escaped. What other adventures will this family see on their vacation? What kind of adventures does your family get into when out on vacation? Are any of your vacations like this family’s?

Pictures from Our Vacation

by Lynne Rae Perkins

Before leaving on their vacation of mother gives her two children little cameras that print out the little pictures instantly. The pictures have a sticker on the back, and the children can make little scrapbooks of their vacation for souvenirs. The family is taking a trip to the old family farm, where they will meet up with their grandparents. It takes two days to get to the farm, which is a long, long car ride. The little girl spends time thinking about what kind of hotel she would have, if she had her own hotel. Once they get to the farm, the children start a game of badminton with their mom, but it starts to rain. They thought the rain would not last that long, but it rains for days. There are pictures of the things the family does to spend their time inside. Then it stops raining, and everyone decides to go swimming. Their dad used to know a secret path to the lake, but it is not there anymore. They finally have to ask for directions on how to get to the lake. Once they get out on a dock they see a family. The little boy in the family tells them that his family is saying that there is a storm coming. They barely make it to a gazebo before it starts raining really hard. The next day there is memorial service for their great-aunt Charlotte, where the children get to meet some family members that they had never met before. Everyone goes back to the farm with them, and they spend the day having fun with the family. What do the girl and her brother think of the pictures they had taken on their vacation? What did they think was missing? What is your favorite picture that you have taken while on vacation?

I Love Vacations

by Anna Walker

Little Ollie loves vacations. His dog, Fred, is coming with him on the vacation. At the beach, Ollie picks up shells, and splashes around. Ollie loves playing in the waves of the ocean, and he loves to float on the boat watching the sky. Ollie loves to see turtles swimming by, while swimming under water. Do you see some other sea animals? Ollie likes eating sandwiches and ice cream at the beach. What kinds of things do you eat while you are at the beach? What does Ollie like most about his vacation by the ocean? What do you like to do when you go to the beach?

Go, Go America

by Dan Yaccarino

This nonfiction book follows the vacation of the Farley family, as they set out to visit all of the United States of America. Their trip starts in Maine, where we see that in Maine, 90 percent of all the lobster that is eaten in the United States is caught. On each page, the family visits a new state, and there are some fun facts about each state. Some of these facts include: in Boston, Massachusetts, there is a law that says it is against the law to sleep in your day clothes; in Anniston, Alabama, there is the world’s largest chair (33 feet tall); in Twinsburg, Ohio in August every year, there is a festival for Twins; and in July in Oatman, Arizona, there is a Sidewalk Egg-Frying Challenge on the hot sidewalks. Read more about these facts and many others, as the Farley family makes their way through the 50 states. What fun facts did you enjoy most about your state? Do any of these facts make you want to visit one of these other states?