Ike’s plans for a peaceful cruise with Mrs. LaRue are thwarted when their neighbor, Mrs. Hibbins, falls suddenly ill. Mrs. LaRue suggests that she and Ike care for her cats while Mrs. Hibbins is in the hospital, inviting them along on the cruise. But cats aren't allowed, and Mrs. LaRue decides to take them all on a week's vacation of road-tripping. Ike is beside himself and quickly takes up his pen to tell us why!
Join award-winner Mark Teague on this romping road trip across America. Readers can follow along on the maps of the U.S. that span the endpapers. Teague drives us to the story’s satisfying conclusion, and we are left with one profound question: Can cats and dogs really be friends?
My Review
Grams is a little bit in love with Ike LaRue! Ike is a wire-hair fox terrier with a distaste for the neighbor's cats. (To be honest, he reminds me of Minnie, my grand-dog, who is a Jack Russell Terrier.)
When a neighbor falls ill, Mrs. LaRue volunteers to take care of her cats. This forces a change in vacation plan as Mrs. LaRue and Ike embark on a road trip across America with Mrs. Hibbins' cats. The road trip turns ugly fast as the group visits such traditional American vacation spots as the Empire State Building and the Grand Canyon. No matter how hard LaRue tries to make sure that the cats enjoy their trip, most of his actions seem more designed to make them miserable.
LaRue Across America charmed me. I like that the story is told in a series of postcards from Ike. The illustrations are reminiscent of the books I loved as a child of the 1950s. The combination of color and black and white illustrations and the endpaper map of the USA are both beautiful enhancements. I particularly love Mrs. LaRue's pink station wagon.
I think this would be a great book to take along on summer vacation, especially if you're taking a road trip. You could easily use this book to get your kids interested in writing postcards to grandparents and friends while away on vacation.
Giveaway Instructions
Scholastic will be giving two of my readers a copy of LaRue Across America. To enter simply leave a comment on this post. Please be sure that your comment contains either an email address or a link to your Google profile so I can contact you if you win. Entries will remain open until midnight on Wednesday, May 23, 2010. Winners will be determined by random drawing.
