Pictures from our Vacation
Lynne Rae Perkins, author and illustrator
Greenwillow Books, 2007, Fiction
Suitable for: Grade 2-5
Themes: Vacation, Photography, Family Reunion, Memories, Souvenirs
Opening/Synopsis: “Just before we got in the car to go on our vacation, our mother said, ‘Oh, I almost forgot!’ From her bag she pulled out a little camera for me, and one for my brother. Our mom gave us notebooks to stick them in. ‘They will be souvenirs of our vacation,’ she said.” The family is traveling by car to visit the farm where their grandparents are spending the summer. The brother and sister chronicle their trip. The trip starts out rather boring, a long drive, snapshots of feet, the back of Dad’s head, a hill and a lot of rain. When they arrive, their grandparents are waiting to greet them. They soon learn there will be a memorial service for their great-aunt. Other cars arrive filled with family members. There are a lot of cousins to play with, trees to climb, and games to play.
Why I like this book: It is a great idea to let kids chronicle their trip with pictures. The trip is a more realistic portrayal of real vacations, boredom, disappointment, fun and family love. But the brother and sister discover the best memories are the ones they make with family and hold in their minds. Lynne Rae Perkins has written and illustrated an engaging story for children with a unique message. The illustrations are in bright water colors. She won a Newbery Medal for her book Criss Cross. Resources: Give your kids cameras, a notebook, pens and crayons and encourage them to make a vacation book, or a book about their summer. Great exercise in taking pictures and writing a summer story.
Children's Books Heal 
That is a great idea fir holidays, Pat. I might try that in England. Nice book.
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Thanks Catherine. I always did this with my daughter. She had a disposable camera, and a notebook. Gave her something to share at school. She still has the stacks of notebooks, and she’s 27.
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Super!
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Thanks Catherine.
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Cool book! We did this last year on our trip to Yellowstone. Kids all had ipods they snapped pictures with. And they had to journal at least three sentences every day and draw the wildlife. (We studied Louis and Clark right before we left.) It made for a very cool memento. I used a lot of their pictures and my own and bound them in a hardcover book that I made through Lulu.com. Will do the same for the Smokies this summer.
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Michelle, that’s great. I did something similar with my daughter. But, she used disposable cameras because there were no ipods. She still has those books at age 27.
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I love the sound of this book. Great inspiration for kids to imitate and document their own vacations. Fun, fun! It almost makes me wish my girls were little again 😉
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Ruth, it is a fun book. And, I shared I did this activity with my daughter when she was young.
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This seems like a really great book! 🙂 I really like the idea of making my own souvenir with pictures from a trip!
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Erik, great way to create a memory and to encourage writing. My daughter still has the books she made. She drew pictures, and took photos.
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I’ve been feeling the need for a book about vacationing — thank you for filling that need so well, Pat! I, too, love this idea of kids chronicling their vacations. I have all of Dad’s photos of our family vacations, but this book makes me wonder what *I* would have recorded. I’m glad that the book shows the full gamut of feelings and experiences kids have on a family road trip, including the boredom that is bound to set in at some point!
Thanks, Pat!
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Beth, this is a very realistic portrayal of how kids experience vacations. Great opportunity to help them have fun making memories. Did this with my daughter.
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I need to read this before our next road trip.
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Stacy, fun book for kids!
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I own a camera but so seldom use it because I have one in my cell phone and it’s just more convenient. IN the book were kids using actual cameras or were they cell phone cameras? I’m just curious.
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They were using actual cameras. Can tell you’re of a different generation. The book was written in 2007.
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I can’t wait for vacation! I do long for a Kindle for vacation reading so I don’t have to fret about what books, and how many, to pack for all of us to read! My daughter would enjoy this one.
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Cathy, I am glad you enjoyed the book. Thought it nice to start the summer vacation season off with a book that might inspire kids to have fun with writing their stories and taking photos.
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What I like about this review is that it highlights how the book speaks of everyday normal things like boredom.
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Yes, that’s what I like about the book Niamh. Thought it a fun book to review at the beginning of summer before vacations begin.
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How fun! This really is a brilliant idea. I’d love to have my kids do this for a vacation. Sounds like it would be a fun book as well. I’ll have to see if they have it at our library. I hope they do. I’m planning on taking the kids this week! 🙂
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Leigh, it is a great activity for kids on vacation. I used to do it with my daughter and she is 27 now — still has her books. Have a great time with your kids.
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Looks like a cute book and I love the idea of encouraging kids to make their own vacation book. Super idea!
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Thanks Coleen. It is a great activity to keep them busy and learning at the same time.
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What a cute idea! makes me want to do that with my kids 🙂
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Thanks Jennie. I always did it with my daughter and it is a great way to keep them entertained and involved in journaling about their vacation.
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I love the idea of this book and the illustrations look so vibrant and fun!
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Amanda, I’m glad you enjoyed the vacation book. Great idea for kids.
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This is a great review. I do this with my niece every time she comes over from Australia to stay with us. She uses my camera and makes a scrapbook with story and pictures of her trip for “Show and Tell” at school when she gets home. Looking forward to doing this with my little 7year old nephew this August on his first trip to New Zealand without Mum and Dad.
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Diane, that is really great for you to help them make a memory book of their time with you. I did the same with my daughter. It keeps them engaged and interested in what they are doing. Thanks for stopping.
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