The Airport Book

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Follow a family and the youngest member's favorite sock monkey through all the inner and outer workings of an airport.In a book that is as intriguing as it is useful and entertaining, we follow a family on its way through the complexities of a modern-day airport. From checking bags and watching them disappear on the mysterious conveyor belt, to security clearance and a seemingly endless wait at the gate to finally being airborne. But wait! There's more! The youngest family member's sock monkey has gone missing. Follow it at the bottom of the page as it makes a journey as memorable as that of the humans above.

Hardcover: 40 pages

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (May 10, 2016)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1626720916

ISBN-13: 978-1626720916

Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 0.4 x 11.4 inches

Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #29,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #25 in Books > Children's Books > Cars, Trains & Things That Go > Planes & Aviation #220 in Books > Children's Books > Geography & Cultures > Explore the World

Age Range: 5 - 7 years

Grade Level: Kindergarten - 2

Look, I don’t wanna brag but I’m what you might call a going-to-the-airport picture book connoisseur. I’ve seen them all. From out-of-date fare like Byron Barton’s Airport to the uniquely clever Flight 1-2-3 by Maria Van Lieshout to the odd but helpful Everything Goes: In the Air by Brian Biggs. Heck, I’ve even examined at length books about the vehicles that drive on the airport tarmac (see: Brian Floca’s Five Trucks). If it helps to give kids a better sense of what flying is like, I’ve seen it, baby. And I will tell you right here and now that not a single one of these books is quite as good at explaining every step of the journey as well as Lisa Brown’s brand new The Airport Book. I’d even go so far as to say that it’s more than just an instructional how-to. Packed with tiny details that make each rereading worthwhile, a plot that sweeps you along, and downright great information, this one here’s a keeper to its core.“When you go to the airport, you can take a car, a van, a bus, or even a train. Sometimes we take a taxicab.” A family of four prepares for a big trip. Bags are packed with the haste that anyone with small children will recognize. Speed is of the essence. As they arrive at the airport we meet other people and families taking the same flight. There’s airport security to get through (the book mentions the many lines you sometimes have to stand in to get where you’re going), the awesome size of the airport itself, the gate, and then the plane. As we watch the younger sister in the family is having various mild freakouts over her missing (or is it?) stuffed monkey. The monkey in question is always in our view, packed in a suitcase, discovered by a dog during the flight, and finally reuniting with its owner on the luggage carousel. The family meets up with the grandparents and at last the vacation can begin. That is, until they all have to go home again.The problem with most airport-related picture books is something I like to call the Fly Away Home conundrum. Originally penned by Eve Bunting, Fly Away Home is one of those rare picture books out there that deal with homelessness in a realistic way. The story features a father and son living out of an airport. Since it touches on such an important, and too little covered, topic, the book continues to appear on required reading lists, in spite of the fact that the very premise is now woefully out-of-date. There are few areas of everyday American life that have changed quite so dramatically over such a short amount of time as the average airport experience. That’s why so many things about The Airport Book rang true for me. When Brown covers the facts surrounding departures and goodbyes to family and friends, she doesn’t set the scene inside the building but rather on the sidewalk outside of ticketing, as people are dropped off. Later you see people at their gate plugging in their cell phones willy-nilly (something I’ve never seen in a picture book before). It lends the book a kind of air of authenticity.The story’s good and the art’s great but what I liked about the book was the language. Brown never tells you precisely what is going to happen, but she does mention the likelihoods. “Sometimes the plane is bouncy, but most of the time it is smooth.” “Sometimes the sidewalks and staircases move by themselves.” “Sometimes there are small beeping cars driving through . . .” As you read, you realize that in a way the narration of the book is being created for us from the perspective of the big brother. He’ll occasionally insert little notes that are probably of more use to him than us. Example: “You have to hold your little sister’s hands tight, or she could get lost.” Mind you, some of the sections have the ring of poetry to them, while staying squarely within a believable child’s voice. I was particularly fond the of the section that says, “Outside there are clouds and clouds and clouds.”With all the calls for more diverse picture books to be published, it would be noticeable if Ms. Brown’s book didn’t have a variety of families, races, ages, genders, etc. What’s notable to me is that she isn’t just checking boxes here. Her diversity far surpasses those books where they'll throw in the occasional non-white character in a group shot. Instead, the main family has a dark-skinned father and light-skinned, blond mother. Travels through the airport show adults in wheelchairs, twins, women in headscarves, Sikhs, pregnant ladies, and more. In other words, what you'd actually see in an airport these days.And then the little details come up. Brown throws into the book a surprising array of tiny look-and-discover elements, suggesting that perhaps this book would be just as much fun in its way as a Where’s Waldo game for older siblings as it is their younger brethren. Ask them if they can find The Wright Brothers, Hatchet (don't think too hard about what happens to the plane in that book), the mom’s copy of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, or the person looking for Amelia Earhart (who may not be as difficult to find as you think). There’s also a cast of characters that command your attention like the businesswoman who’s always on her cell phone and the short artist with the mysteriously shaped package.There’s nothing to say that in five years airports will be just as different to us today as pre-9/11 airports are now. Yet even if our airports start requiring us to hula hoop and dance the Hurly Burly, Brown’s book is still going to end up being the go-to text desperate parents turn to when they need a book that explains to their children what an average airplane flight looks like. It pretty much gets everything right, exceeding expectations. Generally speaking, books that tell kids about what something is like (be it a trip to the dentist or a new babysitter) are pedantic, didactic, dull as dishwater fare. Brown’s book, in contrast, has flare. Has pep. Has a beat and you can dance to it. Like I said, this may be the best dang going-to-the-airport book I can name (though you should certainly check out the others I’m mentioned at the beginning of this review). A treat, it really is. A treat.For ages 4-7.

This was originally purchased in preparation for a plane trip, but I can already tell it will be a favorite for a long time to come. There are so many layers to this book, so many ways to read this depending on a child's current interests. You can read the text as is and narrate a typical flight, you can read the dialogue going on between the family members and learn of the monkey's journey, you can ask where the monkey/dog/person with the ___ is. Many of the same people show up on almost every page, which makes it fun to follow their progress on the trip. Even as an adult, I loved going through the book and talking about how, yes, there is often a grownup who refuses to turn off their cell phone!

Summary: A boy describes each step involved in taking a trip on an airplane. He starts at home with packing, using the second person voice (“You drive on the highway to where the ground is really flat.”), then moves on to the different steps of checking in and boarding. The trip is briefly described, followed by what happens once the plane lands. Woven through the story is a subplot about the boy’s younger sister’s missing stuffed monkey. The busy illustrations show different people making their own trips, complete with cartoon-bubble dialogue. The final page shows the happy family driving with Grandma and Grandpa past palm tree-lined beaches under a hot sun. 40 pages; ages 4-8.Pros: A fun book for the first-time flyer to learn what to expect, as well as for the seasoned traveler to recognize different parts of the airport and plane. The illustrations and monkey story add plenty of humor.Cons: Take-off and landing which, to me, are the most disconcerting part of air travel, were not described at all.

This book is actually for all ages, and is great for conversation during story time. We thought it would be a good idea to read for our grandson's first flight as a toddler. Cute illustrations and well planned to cover numerous travel sighting at an airport.

This book is sheer genius from Lisa Brown. The story itself is simple enough, following a biracial family on their journey to the airport, at the airport, and on the airplane. At the same time we visually follow a great cast of characters throughout and the luggage's journey as well where the family's little girl's sock monkey has it' own adventures. Both the images and the words are multi-layered with lots to see and love. Children who have never flown on an airplane will love learning what happens when they board a plane and they'll also be fascinated by all the activity and people present at airports. Even well-traveled flyers will look over the pages with remembrance of past trips and want to reread this delightful book over and over again. Lisa Brown does an absolutely wonderful job of depicting the chaotic nature of airports without making it overwhelming. A delightful read! For a more in depth review and to find other great children's books, visit us online at Children's Book Academy.

I discovered this at a bookstore.The story walks listeners through the experience of going to an airport from leaving the house to going through the airport, flying on the plane, and picking up the bags at the carousel.Brown keeps the prose simple and clear. The illustrations include a stuffed monkey that's fun to keep track of through the book.My family read the book, then visited an airport before flying out. The girls were thrilled to see how accuracy of the book and made them anticipate their first plane ride with eagerness.

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