Catch that plane! by Sally Sutton

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Ill. by Sylvie Currin Korankowa. Walker Books, 2014 ISBN 9781927120680.
(Age: 4+) Air travel. Airport. Family. As a family runs late to catch their plane, all the experiences of being in an airport are covered, as they go to the departure desk, run down the travelator, have a sniffer dog sniff them, walk across the aerobridge and finally board the plane. This would be a good introduction to the geography of an airport and then traveling by plane. It shows the readers the procedure to getting on a plane, the rush of being late, the sequence of different things they must do before they board the plane, and what will be expected of them.
Children will get a thrill out of the different aspects of an airport presented to them, and share their own experiences with their classmates.
The illustrations recall an earlier illustrative technique and present the features of an airport and travelling well. Once on board the plane, other procedures are presented until they finally sit in their seats ready for take off.
In rhyming stanzas,the words used are expressive and will delight younger readers when it is read out loud.
I seem to have read several books about this event in children's lives. Last year was Bernard's plane trip by Adele Jaunn (Working Title Press, 2013) which I really enjoyed. The two books would work well together.
Fran Knight

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