Review of "Greetings From Route 66," by Patrick, Michael and Matthew Dahl

 Review of

Greetings From Route 66, by Patrick, Michael and Matthew Dahl ISBN 0763567507

Five out of five stars

A delightful big book for the beginning reader(listener)

This review is of the larger version

 At 20.5 inches by 14.5 inches, this book would be difficult for the youngest of readers to manipulate well enough to read it by themselves. However, it would be an excellent choice for a large reading circle where one person is reading it to a large group of children. The text is large enough so that it could easily be read by children several feet away.

 The story is a lesson in the history of travel in the United States. Before the interstate highway system was developed, a main east-west road in the southern section of the United States was Route 66. Starting at Chicago, it passed through eight states before terminating in Santa Monica, California. It was even made famous in a song called “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66,” and a television show called “Route 66.”

 The premise is that a father and his three boys are traveling on Route 66 from California to Chicago. The format is a series of images of places they visit as well as short letters that the boys write to their mother describing their adventures of the day. The trip took 12 days and they saw everything from near ghost towns and deserts to major cities.

 While Route 66 is no longer the main national thoroughfare that it once was, it is still very much an historical tourist attraction. With colorful images that demonstrate some of what can still be seen on the road, this is a fun book that imparts a bit of history.  

 It is highly recommended for all situations where an adult will be reading to one or more children.