With yesterday's read, we jaunted into outdoor adventure...so fitting for summer vacation! Today, I'm taking things a step further with two partner books, which invite kids to head outdoors and explore themselves.
AMERICA'S NATIONAL PARKS
by Alexa Ward
Illustrated by Mike Lowery
Lonely Planet Kids
Children's Nonfiction
256 pages
ages 6 to 12
Calling all adventurers! Are you ready to explore America's 60 amazing national parks?
From Acadia's seaside cliffs and coves to Zion's enchanting red valleys, take a journey through the United States' most spectacular and exciting landscapes with America's National Parks from Lonely Planet Kids.
With awesome facts, photos and illustrations on every page, you'll discover erupting geysers, exploding volcanoes, howling wolves, soaring eagles, mountains, glaciers, rainforests and more throughout the continental USA, Hawaii, American Samoa and the US Virgin Islands.
America's national parks are bursting with gasp-worthy wonders: the world's largest tree with branches stretching 400 feet into the sky; the planet's grandest canyon 6,000 feet deep; a crystal-clear lake deeper than the Empire State Building.
Meet the animals roaming each park, including gators, bison, gray wolves, spotted salamanders, great horned owls, bald eagles and grizzly bears, and find out the best activities, like snorkeling, white-water rafting, hiking, winter sports, exploring ghost towns and geyser watching.
AMERICAN'S NATIONAL PARKS
ACTIVITY BOOK
by Lonely Planet Kids
Children's Nonfiction
96 pages
ages 6 to 12
Say goodbye to boredom with this awesome US National Parks activity book that's packed with word games, drawing challenges, and brain-busting facts like you wouldn't believe. Perfect for a rainy day or a long-distance vacation, kids will also discover super-cool secrets and epic knowledge about America's wildest spaces.
Come and explore! From deciphering head-scratching word scrambles about Nevada's Great Basin National Park, to searching for hidden turtles, jellyfish and crabs in a vibrant underwater image of the Virgin Islands National Park; kids can treasure this on-the-go companion and flip through its pages anywhere and everywhere. Whether you're whiling away the hours at an airport, or you're driving at snail's pace on a road trip adventure, this fun-filled National Parks activity book will keep curious minds entertained for hours on end. Inside America's National Parks Activity:
- The ultimate kids' activity book for wildlife enthusiasts and lovers of the great outdoors with fantastically fun word and picture games themed around the 63 US National Parks
- Includes wild and wonderful facts about the legendary animals, extreme landscapes and tallest trees that can be seen during a National Park excursion
- Encourages a greater appreciation for our natural world and promotes these beautiful destinations as areas to explore and enjoy
- Hours of entertainment with interactive activities color by numbers, seek and find, word scrambles, word searches, make your own, crossword puzzles, mazes, spot the difference, fill the blanks, quizzes, step-by-step draw your own, connect the dots, personality quizzes, matching games, doodle pad, picture games, and more
MY TIDBITS
The excitement and variety that America's National Parks comes across in a way, which will have readers wanting to visit almost every single one and discover it themselves.
The main book, America's National Parks, is thick, sturdy, and packed with National Park goodness. It begins with a map of the US, where each park is marked by a colored number. These work together with the Table of Contents to help readers immediately find the parks closet to them or those near where ever they might be headed (and all others, too). Before heading into the main chapters, there is a foreword to inspire and an explanation of S.T.A.R.S. (safety and responsibility). Each park (chapter) begins with a big, lovely photo, a corner with quick facts about size and such, and a short tidbit about a specialty of the park. The next two pages offer a few more photos, a couple paragraph description over the park's highlights, and list of things to do and see. It's short, sweet, and gets across the 'good stuff' about each one without dragging on and on.
It's enjoyable to simply flip through this book and take in the wonderful scenes. The variety each park has to offer comes across clearly, and it awakens the traveling spirit. There are small illustrated animals added in here and there, which add a touch of humor and lightness. But then, this isn't a heavy read, anyway.
The text fits well to the middle grade age group as it stays concise, while still delivering the important facts. It's written as if the author is directly conversing with the reader. It never talks down to the audience, but rather, naturally discusses different aspects of each place in a way, which awakens curiosity. Some even offer a more atmospheric glimpse as to what a visitor might experience. Then, the 'Things to See' and 'Things to Do' drop in with a couple hints to help readers dream or plan of what a visit to the park may look like. These include many free as well as a few money-dependent activities and also make sure the animal/bird life isn't forgotten.
The activity book is available separately from the main one and does make a lovely partner to round the experience off. It follows the same order as the chapters/parks in the main book and offers a brightly illustrated puzzle or activity for each one. This hits a large range of possibilities, from mazes to riddles to word searches and more. They fit the middle grade range nicely and hold a positive atmosphere thanks to the illustrations. The answers to each one can be found in the back. This book can be used alone, but when added to the main book, does work together very well.
Anyone who is vacation dreaming and has National Parks in their plans...or wants to learn more about the parks in the US...is in for a fun read with this set.
And here she is...
Lisa M. Gerry has written for a broad spectrum of publications including National Geographic Traveler, Teen Vogue, Forbes and more. She is the author of 100 Ways to Make the World Better, Water! Why Every Drop Counts, and How You Can Start Making Waves To Protect It, with more books on the way. From mind-boggling mazes to bemusing fill the blanks, this wildly fun activity book is sure to keep young minds engaged during a day of travel or an afternoon spent indoors - all whilst encouraging readers to better understand our amazing planet and learn how we can best protect it. Add it to your pack-list for your next family adventure or keep it close to hand to doodle, decipher and discover all that America's outstanding National Parks have to offer.
Lonely Planet Kids - an imprint of the world's leading travel authority Lonely Planet - published its first book in 2011. Over the past 45 years, Lonely Planet has grown a dedicated global community of travelers, many of whom are now sharing a passion for exploration with their children. Lonely Planet Kids educates and encourages young readers at home and in school to learn about the world with engaging books on culture, sociology, geography, nature, history, space and more. We want to inspire the next generation of global citizens and help kids and their parents to approach life in a way that makes every day an adventure. Come explore!
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