Review of To Iowa in the Back Seat

[evraealtana]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "To Iowa in the Back Seat" by Kristi R. Bradbury.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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To Iowa in the Back Seat, written by Kristi R. Bradbury, is a children’s book about Kay, a young girl from Colorado. Kay and her two older siblings, a sister named Sue and a brother named Michael, go on a road trip to visit their grandparents in Iowa. The drive is long, and Kay and her siblings sometimes clash along the way. But when they arrive, their grandparents greet them with warmth and affection, and Kay finds herself having such a good time that she never wants to leave.

The story is based on the author’s own childhood experiences, with Kay and her siblings representing the author and her family. I loved the way Bradbury was able to draw upon those early experiences to provide realism and relatability to the long car trip and the small annoyances that feel very large to a child.

The book is written from Kay’s perspective, and she narrates her thoughts and experiences in enough detail that a young child would need an adult to read the book to them. Older children would be able to read the book themselves and would appreciate both the descriptiveness of the scenes and the approachable vocabulary. I would estimate the book to be appropriate for children as young as three to as old as eight or nine.

The book is illustrated with beautiful full-page drawings depicting Kay’s adventure. On almost every page, there is a tiny cricket hidden somewhere in the illustrations. As an adult, I enjoyed the challenge of trying to find the cricket, although spotting such a tiny insect buried in the colorful drawings would probably be much too hard for a young child to do without an adult’s help.

The only errors I could find in the book were a few instances of missing spaces between words. The font in which the text is written is small and the spacing between letters varies, so it is hard to tell if these are true errors or if they merely appear to be errors due to the letter spacing. Regardless, this spacing issue makes the font hard to read; in my opinion, the font should be replaced with a larger and more easily legible one, particularly if children are going to be expected to read this book themselves.

To Iowa in the Back Seat earns a score of 4 out of 4 for its cute and well-illustrated depiction of childhood familial frustrations and joys. My only complaint is that I feel that the text would benefit from a different font. The book would most appeal to children who are three to nine years of age, particularly children who have older siblings, and their parents.

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To Iowa in the Back Seat
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[Aisha Yakub]

Sounds helpful for children. They'll learn that it's okay to have misunderstandings, but it should be put aside to face the bigger picture. Thank you for your review.

[Nwadinso Okoro]

I love the fact that this book is based on the author's childhood experiences. The book has a good illustration, and I think it'd be a good read for kids because they would be learning from it. Thanks for your review.

[Amiczy Heaven]

What a beautiful story. Reading a children’s book is always lovely. Kids are adorable, they never bare grudges. Thanks for the review

[Janelydia Mwangi]

A journey to children is always an exciting time to learn and explore. In addition ,through it they grow. Visiting grandparents to children it's time to enjoy a bit of freedom away from the the urban chaotic life. Thanks for the review.

[Sarah Sonbol]

The book sounds really nice. Many memmories flushed through my mind by just reading this beautifully written review. I agree that children books should use clear fonts to make it easier for children to read by themselves.

[AkuBig]

I love the fact that this book is based on the author's childhood experiences. The book has a good illustration, and I think it'd be a good read for kids because they would be learning from it. Thanks for your review.

[Mildred Echesa]

Family trips are fun and I bet the kids have fun. Children love such experiences. The book review is good and the book is based on experience. I love it

[Blessing Odii]

Spending time with your grandparents can be a great experience. I love the review.

[Giftiee]

Would definitely love to read this book. Great review!

[Patty Allread]

This book reminds me of childhood road trips with my parents and my older sister. I like that it is relatable and has realism. The cricket in the illustrations sounds delightful. Good review!