Saturday, June 6, 2020

Review: Traveling the World with Mom by A.L. Renna



TRAVELING THE WORLD WITH MOM
by A. L. Renna
Illustrated by Leah Gray Heyes
Travelnitch Publishing
Picture Book
20 pages
ages 4 to 8


Follow along on one little girl's global adventure, as mom takes her on a whirlwind tour of iconic landmarks and ancient wonders. Together they travel to Stonehenge, swim the Great Barrier Reef, explore the Great Pyramid of Giza, and hike the Great Wall of China-all in one week!
     
  

MY TIDBITS

This book hits the fact that physically traveling around the world isn't possible, but it's still possible to gain an impression of all sorts of neat places and have fun without ever leaving the livingroom.

A little girl proudly knows that her mother has traveled all around the world. Luckily, she's even taken pictures of her travels. Using these, the reader accompanies her to various places, learns a few facts and sees them through the girl's imagination—as if she were truly there.

My favorite part of this book was the illustrations. While the girl sticks out a bit, the places she visits are nicely done and give a nice, yet artistic impression, fitting well with the idea of going on an imaginary journey. There are enough details for young readers to learn a few things just by seeing them. And the variety of places visited is quite broad as well.

The story follows the girl to each place and brings across her excitement and energy well. While she drops a few interesting facts about each one, a pinch of humor and a taste of her shining personality are present too. It makes a lovely read-aloud, except I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for listeners under ages four or five. The facts do hold numbers and information, which won't necessarily mean much to younger listeners. Slightly older ones will find them more interesting.


And here they are...

The Author...
Born and raised in New England, A.L. Renna spent ten years in nonprofit communications, until she found her way back to her passion—travel writing. Her most recent work can be seen in publications like The Ascent and Writers on the Run. As founder and managing editor of Travelnitch, she provides opportunities for parents and children to explore the world together. In her free time, she loves roadtripping with her husband and two girls.

The Illustrator...
Leah Gray Heyes has been illustrating for as long as she can remember—as a young child with crayons, now with ink and paints. She was born and raised in Western Massachusetts and still resides there with her family. When she isn’t working on her art, she is gardening (which just means she digs in the dirt and hopes things grow), researching genealogy projects or dreaming about day trips to Ikea. This is her first children’s book.

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