Wow! America! (A Wow! Picture Book), Hardcover by Neubecker, Robert

Hardcover
Brand New
9780786838165
0786838167

Publication Date: 2006-05-02
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Hardcover : 48 pages
Author: Neubecker, Robert
ISBN-10: 0786838167
ISBN-13: 9780786838165

Product Description An exuberant introduction to the wonders of our country shows Izzy and her little sister Jo rowing down the Mississippi, eating pies at the Kentucky State Fair, marveling at Niagara Falls and the California sequoias, and much more. From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 3–This follow-up to Wow! City! (Hyperion, 2004) is aptly named: with every turn of a page, readers will find themselves exclaiming, Wow! The beginning endpapers boast a giant map of the United States, with two tiny sisters gazing up at it in wonder. On the next spread, the children hurry down the road from their mountain home, as Izzy chases after Jo. The title page shows the girls running across another map as they set off to explore their country. The colorful, eye-grabbing, two-page paintings that follow depict some of America's most popular and fascinating locales: Washington, DC (Wow! Capitol!), Cape Canaveral (Wow! Space!), and more. The sisters marvel at Niagara Falls, visit an Atlantic Coast beach, eye pies at a state fair, wrangle horses in the West, stand before the glorious Rockies, and view Mauna Loa from a helicopter. Three-page gatefolds provide glimpses of the busy Mississippi River and the Grand Canyon. At book's end, the intrepid travelers run into their mother's arms for a hug (Wow! Home!). Packed with interesting details and loads of action, the playful illustrations grab readers' attention, drawing them into a fun-filled journey. Energetic, captivating, and irresistible, this is geography, sociology, and Americana all in one book. Wow! –Jodi Kearns, University of Akron, OH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist PreS-K. Izzy, the tot who goggled at urbanity in Wow! City! 2004), chases her runaway little sister across the nation in this sequel, occasioning encounters with more wow-worthy sights. This farcical premise is really just a vehicle for Neubecker's exuberant artwork, which once again runs riot over extravagant, 20-by-10-inch double-page spreads. As striking as the visuals are (particularly the gatefolds depicting the Mississippi River and the Grand Canyon), the organization seems amorphous, compromising the book's educational intent. Some spreads feature cities, others regions, others landscape elements, and still others generic traditions like county fairs ("Wow! Pie!"), and the accompanying explanations (new to this book) seem uncertain about their purpose or audience. A concluding map further confuses matters (if fairs occur in "every state," why is this element keyed to the Deep South?). Neubecker hasn't successfully grafted content onto concept here, but the contagious "Wow!" refrain and the fun of locating Izzy, Sis, and their trusty dog in every eye-popping scene will still hold significant allure for the look-and-point crowd. Jennifer Mattson Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Review Praise for Wow! America!: A Child Magazine Best Book of the Year ― - About the Author Robert Neubecker is a regular contributor to Slate.com, Business Week, Time, the Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times. His books include Wow! America! and Wow! City! (an ALA Notable Book), as well as Courage of the Blue Boy and Beasty Bath. A longtime New Yorker, Robert now lives with his growing family and the occasional moose on Iron Mountain in Park City, Utah.