Every family will identify and commiserate, with their traveling counterparts in these rollicking, rhyming couplets. “Backseat race— / All in place? / Wagons ho! / Here we go!” Smiles of anticipation and the usual backseat games of Bingo and mooing at each cow quickly give way to the behaviors that accompany small, enclosed spaces filled with family members. As boredom increases, mischief ensues, and the squirming begins. Then the raid on the snacks and several rounds of bickering in the backseat; the one ritual not featured is the popular, “I have to go to the bathroom.” Although the parents never say a word, their facial expressions say it all. They keep their cool until the final card played by their offspring—falling asleep just as the car pulls up to its beach destination. The perfect complement to the text, McNeill’s cartoon watercolors fill the page with amusing details that complete the story. The irony of the whole situation will not be lost on small children, but don’t expect miracles—children will behave just like this on their next family vacation. (Picture book. 3-8)
