"ARE WE THERE YET, DADDY?"

by Virginia Walters ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1999

From the back seat it comes, steady as a metronome, deadly as an asp: ""Are we there yet?"" Walters understands that the only tree way to tame this beast is to impart a sense of geography and to teach the fundamentals of map reading, which help convey a sense of movement through space. Every spread comes with an inset map to measure a father and son's progress to grandmother's house (notched off in ten-mile intervals). The map gives both a notion of orientation as well as a hint at the topography they are passing through. Walters's versified travelogue explains what's happening outside the window in greater detail and features an exchange that is repeated every 10 miles:"" 'Are we there yet, Daddy?' Daddy says, 'No.' 'How much farther do we have to go?' 'Just look at the map, Son. Then you will know.' ""The numeric countdown, and the progress the travelers are making toward their destination, add drama, and Schindler's maps have a plain-spoken clarity that make them easy to understand and enjoy.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999

ISBN: 0142300136

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999

Categories: CHILDREN'S