The Airport Book

Brightly colored people and baggage fill double-page spreads, nudging readers to look closely at faces, stances, attitudes, and activities to spin narratives for the travelers. Strategically placed text, with modest typeface and subtle sizing, makes the story-building straightforward and the busy pictures navigable. Instructional, comforting, and threaded with multiple air-travel story strands, this travelogue delivers at many altitudes.

Brown (Mummy Cat) traces an airplane journey through the eyes of a family: two parents, a son, and his toddler sister. The title page introduces the device on which the story hangs as the parents tell each other not to forget the toddler's favorite stuffed animal; separately, readers see the girl cramming Monkey into her mother's suitcase. Brown follows them to the airport departure area, filled with individuals and families that readers see throughout: "There are lots of people saying lots of goodbyes. Sometimes they hug. Sometimes they cry." Despite the sister's consternation, readers see Monkey traveling safely (and having a close encounter with a friendly dog) with the luggage while the family sits in the cabin above. More than just an introduction to the airport, the story is a look at the wide world itself. The biracial family encounters dozens of strangers--old, young, familiar, foreign--and observes their idiosyncracies ("Blah blah blah" says a woman who's perpetually on her phone). Amusing Easter eggs abound, and Brown's calm delineation of the mysteries and mundanities of air travel should reassure reluctant travelers. Ages 5-7. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. (May)

PreS-Gr 2--Nobody knows what's become of Monkey except the preschooler who packed him, tail protruding from the zipper of her suitcase. And so Brown begins this brilliant little book that weaves a Knuffle Bunny-esque narrative into an expository introduction to air travel. It's raining in the city, and a mixed-race family of four take a cab to the airport on their way to see the grandparents. The first page shows a single car on a long, flat drive to their destination, but the page turn opens up to the chaos of the airport itself. Brown bumps up our interest by following several groups of passengers as she takes readers through the procedures and places in an airport, from drop-off to pick-up. There's the soccer team, a cranky old woman and her complacent husband, and a family of look-alike redheads. At check-in, security, and the gate and on the plane, careful readers will notice Monkey making a parallel journey. Each page offers a simple narrative reflection of the India ink and watercolor illustrations in text small enough not to distract from the page's visual impact. Well-placed speech bubbles create personalities for an airport's vast cast. The girl and her monkey are reunited at the end of the trip, and readers have learned what to expect when they fly. Planes fascinate children, and there is no shortage of books to develop that interest. There's always room for one more, especially one this good. VERDICT A must-buy for most libraries.--Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence

Whether kids are readying for their first plane trip, wondering where parents go after they're dropped off at the terminal, or just looking for some imagined travel, this will set them on the runway. — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred