3 out of 4 stars
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The Travels of Adventurous Alexander and Relentless Russell: Dominican Republic is a non-fiction children’s book written and illustrated by Kristina Kozak. Two brothers, known as Adventurous Alexander and Relentless Russell, go on a jeep tour with their parents while vacationing in the Dominican Republic. They visit a chocolate plantation, a farm, and a school, among other places. The story is based on a trip the author took with her husband and sons.
The account of the family’s vacation alternates with trivia about the Dominican Republic. Each page of the sightseeing story alternates with a page of photos and facts about the Dominican Republic. This information relates to the stops along the jeep tour. For example, when the family visits a farm, the opposite page provides information about sugar cane harvesting.
The story is easy to understand and the author does a good job of setting the tone of a fun yet educational tour. There is a busy, compressed feel, as each sightseeing excursion is quickly explained and then it’s on to the next destination. The main characters are not well developed and there is no backstory given for their nicknames. I did, however, enjoy the tour guide’s clear explanations of the various places they visited along the way.
The accompanying informational pages include several interesting tidbits, such as the process of amber mining. However, these pages are written in a textbook style and might not appeal to children. Since there are no chapters, I can understand why the facts were placed on the pages opposite each sightseeing stop in the story. Still, the different style of writing on these side-by-side pages gives the book a cluttered feel. It’s as if a teacher was reading a story and constantly running to the blackboard to highlight related facts after each page.
The sketched illustrations are sweet and give a handcrafted appearance to the book. However, the brothers are inconsistently drawn. In some of the pictures, one boy is much shorter than the other while other pictures show them to be almost the same height. The boys' faces are not depicted the same way on different pages and they sometimes look older. It was also a little odd that the children's parents and the tour guide weren't included in any of the illustrations.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It is a warm reminiscence of a family vacation that is both entertaining and educational. I would recommend this book to children ages 6-10 who enjoy reading true stories and learning about other locales.
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The Travels of Adventurous Alexander and Relentless Russell
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