Thankfully, there are a lot of them. If one must give thanks for volcanoes, which I’m not sure is necessary. At any rate, we are off to Mt. Lassen soon. Volcanoes, bears, s’mores, large rodents, trails, kayaks, icy lakes, possible snow (so my eldest son tells me), pirates, buried treasure, etc. It should be pleasant.
Speaking of pleasant, I have to recommend Where’s Wallace, by Hillary Knight (author and illustrator). It is one of the best illustrated children’s books ever written, certainly in the league of Potter, Sendak, Ungerer and Company. I even rate it as high as Helen Lester’s Tacky the Penguin books, which are the literary equivalents of the long-lost rubies of Kubla Khan. Knight is probably most famous for having illustrated Kay Thompson’s Eloise books, as well as the original versions of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (also a must-read for children with working brains).
Where’s Wallace is essentially a Homeric odyssey, worthy of any Ithacan king’s adventures. The book follows the wanderings of an orangutan named Wallace, as well as quite a supporting cast of characters (the Cat, the Knitting Lady [perhaps a nod to the Fates, in my fevered brain], the Bad Little Girl, the Bad Little Baby, the Cellist, etc). And, of course, the Zookeeper.
Get it now. Now.
I love Tacky the Penguin. We had an audiobook version, which made it even better.
Tacky restores my faith in children’s books.