Vacations Books

My young son and I both loved this book. It's the story of Angela Throgmorten, Old Tom Cat's owner (or, should I say, the cat lover whom Old Tom owns). She decided to leave on a vacation without Old Tom, but he sneaks into her suitcase and comes along anyway.

The book is terribly funny and very sweet. My son was in hysterics, looking at pictures of Old Tom hiding in every place that Angela Throgmorten visits.

Highly recommended for the 4 and over crowd.

What an adorable, lavishly illustrated treasure! I have just discovered the Orlando books for my kids and they make me wish I'd had them in my own childhood. Although these were all originally published sometime in the early 20th Century, apparently they had fallen out of print for quite some time and are just now being made available for a whole new generation.

Orlando is the original sassy orange tabby cat. Oh, he doesn't have a lot of dialog but the exquisitely drawn feline expresses more in a facial smirk and body language than that other orange fat cat ever could ever hope to convey with one-liners. In this adventure, Orlando takes an unexpected detour when his master totes the London bred cat family to a beach day; somehow, he ends up on an ocean liner to France! The precocious hero is not terribly concerned, and with a delightfully human savoir faire he navigates his way through high and low society, enjoying the best that luxury cruises and jazz clubs have to offer along the way.

The artwork is of the sensitively drawn, gorgepus variety that you just don't see anymore in most children's books. There is a lot of subtle wit and humor to be discovered in these pages. Do your family a favor and treat them to at least one Orlando book so that they can experience the pleasure of these genuine masterpieces. Recommended for cat fans or anybody who just loves great children's picture books.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle

Michael Dudok De Wit provides the appealing, simple drawings in Oscar And Hoo, a picturebook story of a boy who is a dreamer, and who sometimes loses track of the real world. His daydreaming one holiday leads him to become lost in a big desert. He's all alone until a magic, lonely little cloud finds him and they share their concerns about being lost.

This short novel is a treasure. The story follows siblings as they learn generosity and sacrifice. Well written.

I've used this book several times and it offers very good general advice by activity. However, it is a little weak on listing resources (i.e hotels, etc.) as it typically only lists one or two for each activity. For example, I went to a beach location based on the book's recommendation. The area was great but the lodging recommendation was only okay.

I thought it as funny because he was chased by a cat. I think people who want to learn more about Nashville should read this book. the book was about a mouse who got lost.

This was one of our first books, from 1 week! My daughter loved this book sooo much that we need to buy a new one! The book we had was in the Italian version, but the story is great and simple for the youngest reader(1 day old! ). The pictures are done in primary colors, the best to grab the youngest readers! We loved this one so much, we are going for the whole series!

Do any of you remember a time in grade school when you felt like you didn't quite fit in, and the cool group seemed inaccessible? Times haven't changed in that respect and this book takes Alex through some real escapades as she learns how to cope with "cool kids" being rude to her. Kids will relate and learn valuable life lessons at the same time. My daughter had tears streaming down her face in parts because she was laughing so hard. A quick read and perfect for the age group.

If you're looking for a big, generalized guide for viewing an assortment of summer opportunities for your child, this is the best guide available. However, I found "Early College Programs" to be a far superior guide for reviewing summer opportunities for my college-bound teen.

Planning the Ultimate Golf Vacation should be on every golfer's book shelf. It will save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in disappointment, enabling you to be an "insider," with invaluable information about how to plan and enjoy a golf vacation. Don't even think about going on a golf vacation without first reading this book!