The Adventure Begins With a Turn of the Page: Book Recommendations to Inspire Your Child's Taste for Adventure

Even the shortest excursions can lead to big adventures for little ones.

By the Side of the Road
All Ages
By Jules Feiffer
Hyperion Books for Children, ISBN: 0-7868-0908-6, $15.95

When Richard, a boy of seven or eight, refuses to stop fooling around in the back seat of the family car with his younger brother Rudy, his angry father warns: "If you don't behave, I'm gonna pull over right here, and you can wait by the side of the road till I come and get you." Sure enough, that's what happens.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Ages 3 - 7 yrs.
By Mark Teague
Random House Children's Books/ Yearling, ISBN: 0517885565, $6.99

Wallace Bleff recounts his summer vacation, which includes a train trip Westward "to visit Aunt Fern in her house on the plains" (an abode resembling Aunt Em's in the Wizard of Oz); a kidnapping by some rough and tough cowboys, plus a narrow escape from a herd of stampeding cattle. There's never a dull moment.

Sally Goes to The Beach
Ages 2 - 4 yrs.
By Stephen Huneck
Harry N. Abrams, Inc., ISBN: 0-8109-4186-4, $17.95

This handsome, oversized book, illustrated by bold color woodcuts, gives youngest listener/viewers a dog's-eye view of a summer vacation at the beach. Sally, a black Labrador, takes a first timer's enthusiastic delight in the sights, sounds and sensations of a day in the sun, sea and sand.

Sally Goes to the Mountains
Ages 4 - 8 yrs.
By Stephen Huneck
Harry N. Abrams, Inc., ISBN: 0-8109-4485-5, $17.95

Join Sally, our curious black Labrador, on her first camping trip to the mountains.

Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa
Ages 4 - 8 yrs
By Don Brown
Houghton Mifflin Co., ISBN: 0-618-00273-1, $16.00

Undaunted by heat, insects, or crocodiles climbing into her canoe, Mary Kingsley embraced explorations almost unknown for a female of her day.

Mountain Town
Ages 4 - 8 yrs.
By Bonnie Geisert, Illustrated by Arthur Geisert
Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books, ISBN: 0-395-95390-1, $16.00

This picture book's detailed, meticulous color etchings draw us into the mountain town the author and illustrator have created, inviting readers to explore this unique bit of Americana.

Benny: An Adventure Story
Ages 4 - 9 yrs.
By Bob Graham, Illustrated by Bob Graham
Candlewick Press, ISBN: 0-7636-0813-0, $16.99

Benny, a very talented dog, is summarily fired from his job as an assistant to Brillo the Magician because the audiences are beginning to applaud him more than the star. With skills in hand, he bravely hops a freight train (after spending his last few coins "on a can of dog food and a can opener") and sets forth on an odyssey across the country to find a place where he will fit in.

Bus Route to Boston
Ages 5 - 8 yrs.
By Maryann Cocca-Leffler, Illustrated by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Boyds Mills Press, ISBN: 1-56397-723-0, $15.95

This urban adventure vividly details the story of two young siblings on their bus trip through Boston. The author-illustrator captures the look and feel of a suburb (with city skyscrapers beckoning in the distance), and the excitement of shopping, eating, and exploring in memorable Boston spots.