About the Author

John Coy has written several books for children and spends much of his time as a writer-in-residence at elementary schools. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Peter McCarty is the author and illustrator of T Is for Terrible, Baby Steps, Little Bunny on the Move and Hondo and Fabian, for which he won a Caldecott Honor. He lives with his wife and two children in Upstate New York.

Reviews

"Perfect bedtime beckoning for would-be roamers." --The Horn Book, starred review "A series of hushed, starlit illustrations creates the imping sense that magic is just around the bend." --Kirkus Reviews, pointer

K-Gr 3‘"My dad and I are driving west...I'm excited because it's my first trip to the mountains and we're going to sleep in a tent." Soon, night falls, and their journey is marked by the vast prairies in the moonlight, a flat tire, conversations and car games, a hurried visit to an outhouse where "...it's dark and flies buzz," and, toward dawn, a stop at a roadside diner. When they're done with breakfast, the boy is surprised by the daylight: "Suddenly, I see giant peaks, sharp as bear's teeth, that push into the sky. `Look, Dad, the mountains.' " Told in the first person in the present tense, the narrative has an immediacy that is an interesting contrast to its overall nostalgic tone. The closeness between father and son is depicted in a nicely understated way. Coy has captured the fresh perspective and simple voice of a child. McCarty's soft pencil drawings show a postwar era, with old cars and billboards and a very low-tech pup tent. The illustrations' still, slightly surreal quality is appropriate to the mood. A distinctive book that may need some selling, but that will appeal to many kids once they get into it.‘Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL

"Perfect bedtime beckoning for would-be roamers." --The Horn Book, starred review "A series of hushed, starlit illustrations creates the imping sense that magic is just around the bend." --Kirkus Reviews, pointer