Books like Are We There Yet?: A Journey Around Australia

Eight-year-old Grace narrates this engaging travelogue introduction to Australia for the picture-book set, chronicling her family's three-month journey around the country, starting out from their home in Binnum (in Victoria, to the west of Melbourne), and traveling westward along the coast. From whale-watching at the Head of Bight and snorkeling at Turquoise Bay, to visiting friends and family in Darwin, Brisbane and Sydney - not to mention making a trip into the interior, to see Alice Springs, and the great Uluru rock, known as the "Heart of Australia" - the family slowly make their way around their homeland, while the reader learns a little bit about the diverse regions and activities to be found in this humongous nation!Engaging, informative, and entertaining, Are We There Yet?: A Journey Around Australia was chosen as one of our August selections, over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where the theme this month is "traveling," and it certainly fits the bill! I liked the way in which Alison Lester managed to communicate so much factual information, about the different climates and ecosystems to be found around Australia, for instance, without ever breaking from her story. The family here are appealing, and the reader gets a definite sense of all their personalities, from height-fearing mom to impatient little brother Billy, who is always asking "Are we there yet?" Recommended to any child who enjoys stories about traveling, and road-trips, and to anyone looking for picture-books about Australia.