Book Description

An adventure by kayak through the Solomon Islands, in the South Pacific Ocean and the third book in Annick Press' award-winning 'Adventure Travel' series.

The Solomon Islands in the South Pacific Ocean are full of sharks, malaria, giant centipedes and crocodiles, and are also the home to lush jungle, beautiful cockatoos, waist-high orchids, and tropical butterflies.

Maria Coffey and husband Dag love to kayak. Their adventure begins in Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands, where Maria and Dag first encounter Pidgin English and men with mouths stained red from chewing betel nuts and lime. They snorkel incredible reefs alive with the rich blues, greens and reds of hundreds of fish, coral and clamshells -- and the odd lagoon shark! During their travels, they visit Skull Island, which houses the heads of dead chiefs; they learn to cook traditional food like taro and cassava roots; they witness the incredible, huge leatherback turtles burying their eggs in the sand and making decoy nest holes to fool the local monitor lizards. They even get lost among small, remote, uncharted islands. Yet everywhere Maria and Dag go, the locals welcome them with generosity and kindness.

Ever wonder about giant fruit bats, what a bathroom in the jungle looks like or what are the top ten uses for coconuts? Sidebars recount fascinating cultural facts and information from around the Islands. Maps are dispersed throughout the text with spectacular photography, enabling the reader to follow the kayak along its journey. An index is included for easy reference. ... Read more

Book Description

One of over 400 titles in the Insight series,

Insight Guide Chicago. This 294-page book includes a section detailing Chicago's history, 10 features covering the city's life and culture, ranging from its blues heritage to its sports-mad citizens, a visitor's guide to the sights, and a comprehensive Travel Tips section packed with essential contact addresses and numbers. Plus more than 260 incredible photographs and 12 maps, including a Chicago transportation map. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

insight chicago
i found this chicago travel quide to be an exceptional difference in the usual "go here, do this" mentality of most tour books. the writing was insightful and thought-provoking, the information was straight forward and the photographs were exceptional. evidently a well thought out and researched book. even though this edition is somewhat dated (1999) i highly recommend this purchase.

Bright Pictures with Dark Words
Insight Guide Chicago is a mine of useful information in an accessible format. This, however, is not what distinguishes the Insight Guide from books with a similar mission, such as Frommers or Fodors. What marks Insight Guide apart is its wonderful photographs, which provide the would-be tourist with a rich taste of what it must be like to spend time in this vibrant, world class, but still comfortably Midwestern city.

The other thing that sets this Insight Guide apart - even from others in the series - is the darkness of its text. If you read this book like a book, rather than a reference work (its stylish writing invites such use) you are regaled at every turn with tales of poverty, crime, corruption and racial division. That Chicago suffers from these problems is no doubt true but reading about them in a guidebook doesn't make me want to go there. ... Read more

Book Description

Randy Martinez and Joe Hernandez are best friends. They met in 1979 and quickly recognized they had lots in common. They were good students, they enjoyed sports, they were practical jokers, and they both liked the music of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

They were born and raised in the working class neighborhood of La Puente, a community of about 80,000 located near East Los Angeles. After graduating from Bassett High School in 1985 and 1986 respectively, they each went off to different universities.

For six years, they hardly saw each other and spoke only on occasion. They made new friends and joined various social and fraternal organizations. In 1989, Randy earned his degree and moved to San Francisco. In 1991, Joe earned his degree. To celebrate, they made plans to travel to Europe together, figuring that such an adventure might allow them to go back to something they had lost along the way. So, they saved their money, loaded their backpacks, and headed out.

This is a story of two young men yearning for adventure, and finding the truth about their deep, abiding friendship.

Reviews (2)

MY SONS, 14 AND 12 LOVED READING THIS BOOK.
I have two step-sons, ages 14 and 12. They are not avid readersbut were fascinated by this book. We are planning a trip to Brazil andamong the books I suggested for them was this one. I picked it up at on a recent trip to New York. My kids found it a great adventure book and motivated them even more to want to visit brazil.

This Is The Best Book I Ever Seen
This is a good book because it gives a lot of detail of what is going on in it. ... Read more

Book Description

Small enough to fit in a knapsack yet huge on ideas, "The Lobster Kids' Guide to Exploring Montral" has more than 150 suggestions for fun-filled family activities in the greater Montral area. Overflowing with ideas for all seasons, birthday parties and school field trips, this is the perfect reference for families, tourists and educators.

If you're caring for children between the ages of 1 and 12, this book is the answer to that all-too-common question: "What's there to do today?" ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An invaluable resource
Travelling with kids in a big city like Montreal is made so easy and fun with this book. As a mother of 3, I know this. This book gave us everything we needed for our one month stay, and it provides even more if you live in this city. A complete listing of kid-friendly attractions, places to play and to learn can be found here. The book is really well organized, and the author never skimps on descriptions. Plus, for each site there are sidebars that reveal not only the most essential facts but also extra goodies about what's nearby, similar attractions, etc. And we were never second-guessing about how to get there: this book gives very precise instructions. The book is a must for tourists, but also for families and even child- care professionals that live in Montreal and are looking for yet unthought-of things to do with kids.

A goldmine of information for parents and their kids.
This is just a wonderful book on what to do with your kids in Montreal. Is is extremely user-friendly and provides gems of information, with supporting icons and a rating system for over 150 different activities in Montreal. Had we known there was so much to do in Montreal, we would have stayed much longer. Definitely a strong buy. ... Read more

Book Description

Walt Disney World for Kids, by Kids 2004 is written especially for children and includes what the number-one theme park's biggest fans have to say about their ultimate getaway.Every area of Walt Disney World is covered, from restaurants to shopping advice to "attraction reactions," with kids' honest feedback and impressions.New features include all-new, Disney-themed activities, puzzles, and games to entertain kids while they wait in line, and a full write-up of Epcot's spectacular new attraction Mission: SPACE, as well as the latest handy hot tips and new, colorful illustrations of Disney characters. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

The Happiest Place on Earth
When most people think of Walt Disney World, they think of joyful times and having happy thoughts. But that's not always the case. Disney can also be an extremely frustrating and confusing place with so much there to see, you might never get to see it all, but not anymore! Walt Disney World: For Kids, By Kids is the perfect guide for kids to this magical place. It's a hit with all children because it gives advice from others as well as descriptive sections about Disney World!
This book is good for anyone because it has so many pictures, descriptions, behind-the-scenes facts, and more. About every few pages there are games and activities that you can complete on the way to Disney. Almost every ride profile has a photograph that shows what the ride looks like on the inside. There are also "attraction reactions" that tell how dark or scary a ride is going to be. There's even a place in the back of the book for character autographs!
Children of all ages will love this book because it gives you the information in a fun, but descriptive way. Less complicated words are used so that even the youngest of readers can understand it. All kids will enjoy seeing what the attractions will look like before they ride them. Even the book says it was "made especially for kids." The book seems to flow with the heart and atmosphere of Disney and it gives it to you in a fun, uncluttered way. Past guests write the whole book and they say which rides are for what age groups. Other kids even tell you their advice on which rides to go on.
So the next time you plan a trip to Disney World, you should remember to take this book with you and have a great time!

Truly for Kids!
I purchased this book after quickly previewing it in the local bookstore and finding that it had A LOT of pictures for my four year old son to look at.I thought that it would be a great bedtime read for us as we anticipate our trip.Although we have pretty much enjoyed it, it is really not that kind of book. Some of the pictures were a little scary for him (the witch in Snow White-- too realistic and eerie- and the photos of the Haunted Mansion) and many other pics were cartoons rather than actually pics of the parks. The intended audience is kids who can read and complete written activities alone or with little assistance.The language is geared for this age group without being too simplistic and there are great games, activities and ideas for kids getting ready for a WDW vacation(you write right in the book!). An awesome book for the count-down days preceding the trip but an EVEN BETTER book for the long plane, car, or bus trip!What a fantastic idea! Needs more pics of the parks but even still a great activity with interesting page layouts. We'll be saving this book for when my son is a little older.

Great idea, lousy execution.
"Hey Uncle, look at this book! It's written all STUPID! Whoever wrote it must think kids are dumb."

That was the first exclamation I heard the moment I discovered my two *very* young nephews reading this while at the local bookstore. They were looking at it with shocked wide eyes and were saying the above comment not in rudeness, but in amasement and seriousness. After flipping through it, I could see why.

Talk about false advertising! What the title promises is a great idea, but it's not really "by kids, for kids". Rather, it's the editor writing all over the place about where to go and what to do while only having small white boxes filled with kids' actual comments on the side. My nephews are right: the editor is talking DOWN to children here in a forced, self-conscious "gosh, golly, gee whiz!"-style dialect that is flat out insulting. Kids are NOT stupid!

Not surprisingly, only the preciously short comments by the featured kids are worth reading here because they're simply writing and talking naturally (unlike the editor).

Other two complaints my nephews had: first of all, the book is far too short for it's own good. And the second... well, they want me to describe it this way as I sit here typing this. The moment they flipped through the book, the first thing they exclaimed in disbelief was "Where's the index?" That's right, there is NO index in this book, another serious sign that the editor grossly underestimates the intelligence of this book's intended audience. For pete's sake, even the classic Disney encyclopedias and Charlie Brown Super Books had indexes for kids to use!

In the end, the boys were terribly disappointed, then proceeded to pull out one of the "ordinary" Disney travel books off the shelf to flip through instead. They told me they liked it much better because it had all the information they wanted.

Back to the draw board!

Great Book For Children!
I love these books! I have all of them since 1996. Now that I am 14, I feel that I may be too old for them! I still Love them anyway! I do recomend this book if you are planning a trip to Walt Disney World with you Children and I hope you have a wonderful time there I know I would!!

Our Kids Loved It!
With only so much time to spend at the parks, we found the child-authors' ratings of the rides/shows helpful in creating our "short-list" of must-dos.The parks weren't crowded during our visit, so we didn't have to worry about entertaining the children while in long lines.If the lines had been longer, our children would have spent more time on the activities and trivia in the book.The autograph section let us avoid buying and carrying around an autograph book in addition to the guide book.Next time we go to WDW, I will buy the latest version of this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Experience Grand Canyon National park through the eyes of a young traveler!Includes photos and sections on the South Rim entrance, Mather Point, descending the South Wall, the Colorado River, river rafting, Anasazi, ancient Indians, Havasu Canyon/Falls, wildlife, trees and plants, Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Creek, and the North Rim/Bright Angel Point. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Young Pioneers in Their Own Words Rocks!
My mom got me this book and I loved it. I couldn't stop reading it even when I was jumping on the trampoline. I thought it was great to read about kids like me, who were pioneers and had to go through such hard times. My favorite story in the book is one where they took some cows across a river and they had to seperate the moms and the babies and they didn't know how they would get them both across, but the moms and babies wouldn't leave each other and just swam across to stay together. What I liked most is learning how much these kids had to do on their own and how grown up they were. They worked just as much as the adults and some of them even had to take care of their families when their moms and dads died. I thought it was great that this book was made up from things these kids actually wrote and told about, so you could tell what they thought. I wish there were more books about how kids really are and what it was like to live in a different time. I think everyone should read this book. ... Read more

Book Description

For kids who know where they're going!

An exciting new series of travel guides to help kids make the most of that special trip. Dorling Kindersley's Travel Guides are an unparalleled publishing success. Now, with Kids' Travel Guides, the "guides that show you what other guides only tell you" come to a new generation! Developed especially for children, these colorful guidebooks are bursting with everything the globe-trotting youngster needs to make the most of that special trip. These one-of-a-kind guides are invaluable resources for grown-ups traveling with kids too. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great to get the kids excited but not much information
This book was OK. It got my kids excited but it didn't have much practical info. This cannot be to only book you use to plan your trip.

Great way to include the kids in trip planning
We bought this book for our 10 year old as part of our vacation planning process. It really helped her feel part of the process and empowered her to choose things she was most interested in seeing. We bought a different more comprehensive guide for the adults but still really appreciated the information and presentation in this kids' book. I wish there were more books in this series. We would have loved to have similar ones for our trip to Rome or our upcoming trip to Paris.

Want to get home sick ?
Home sick, for a place you've never seen? It's a great book, not just for kids. Packed full of facts and trivia. The pictures are great.

For kids who want their own less-boring guidebook....
This kids' version of the popular Dorling Kindersley guidebooks has many full color photographs on each page to help kids to visualize sites they may want to visit. The book contains a two-page spread about the Millenium Dome, and mention of the London Eye, two new sites you won't find in older travel books. The information in this book is similar to that in the adult version; it's just condensed so there is less text to wade through, and the information focuses on aspects of each area that will be of interest to the younger generation. For instance, under Covent Garden, you'll read about the street performers (who juggle swords and such) rather than the antique market. Basically, you can find this information elsewhere, but if you want to give your kids a guide that they can read on their own on the airplane, this is a nice book for the money. In the back of the book are some write-in quizes and journal pages for that interactive element. It even has a little pocket in the back for saving ticket stubs and other souvenirs. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Dorothy and Toto would've had so much fun...
This is a delightful book about ways to have fun in Kansas City! When my friends and family found out I was moving to Kansas they were so full of remorse for me---you know, the stereotypes of flat, flat, flat cornfields with remnants of Dorothy's house, one-room school houses and forgotten lands (no, make that undeveloped lands) where everyone wears gingham frocks and plays their fiddle after dinner (nothing wrong with that!)...well, this book is going home, to EVERYONE'S home that I know for Christmas this year! HAH! Look who's house will be the guest flop next! Thanks for your fun book! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Erie Canal: Canoeing America's Great Waterway
I have never been on the Erie Canal but Peter Lourie, with his great ability to blend both history and adventure, made me feel like I was right there with him. Vivid historical and contemporary photographs, as well as lots of canal stories turned, what might've been dull history, into a wonderful reading and visual experience. I never thought I could find the story of a waterway so engaging, but it was. I read this book with great pleasure and so did my two children. The author successfully broadened our appreciation for the wonders and history of this waterway; he kept us interested with tales about tug boat captains and other folks that he meets along the way. I'll probably never canoe the Erie Canal, but in a sense Peter Lourie has done this for me. We all thoroughly enjoyed reading this memorable account and look forward to reading more books by this talented writer. ... Read more

Book Description

Rugged traveler Ted Lewin has

• swum with hungry sharks!
• been chased by angry bears!
• snuck up on sleeping tigers!
• come face-to-face with venomous snakes!

... and lived to tell his story!

Risking his life to take dozens of shots as risky as the jacket photo, this thrill seeker fills the pages of Tooth and Claw with stories, drawings, and photos that very well could have been his last!

Book Description

Ted and Betsy Lewin's adventures take them from the northernmost tip of Australia to the southernmost tip. At the top, they interrupt a python's mealtime, encounter a ferocious pack of dingoes, and come face-to-face with a crocodile. Down at the bottom, they dine with rude kangaroos, meet their first platypus, and confront an ill-tempered sea lion!

The vivid colors, close-up paintings, and rich landscapes rendered in the Lewins' distinct watercolor styles, combined with action-packed narrative, will make you want to pack your bags and visit the land down under!

Reviews (1)

A Great Introduction to the Idea of National Parks!
This book is a pleasant read and very informative too!I really think my students will enjoy this book when I teach about National Parks.My only regret is that the author didn't approach the concept by letting readers know that other nations have created national parks too.I worked in Yellowstone National Park one summer so I have a special attachment to national parks.If you ever get a chance, spend a lengthly period in one or near one. ... Read more