Teddy's
Travels: America's National Parks ,
by Trefoni Michael Rizzi
When I was young, my mother always surprised
my siblings and me with "travel bags" whenever we
sallied forth on a vacation by car. Filled with maps, books,
pencils, and all sorts of knickknacks and games to keep us
interested in where we were going and how we would get there,
the bags did an amazing job of educating us on our various
destinations while cutting down on the "Are we there
yet?" syndrome.
If Teddy's Travels, a new book by Trefoni
Michael Rizzi and his alter ego Tedrick de Bear, had been
available back then, I'm sure I would have found a copy in
my travel bag. Not only is the book an excellent introduction
to America's national parks, it has plenty of space for keeping
track of places visited, adding photos, and collecting stickers
and stamps. As the cover says, it's a "personal guidebook,
scrapbook and journal, all in one place."
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Tedrick
de Bear at the Jefferson National Expansion
Memorial
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A big part of the appeal of Teddy's Travels
is the book's appearance. Bound with a big fat spiral coil
and sturdy coated cardboard covers, the book has a pleasing
heft. Inside, the pages are heavy, high-quality paper, and
there are full-color illustrations and photographs on every
page. The book is tough enough to go on a cross-country trip
with a child and come home looking good enough to sit on a
coffee table.
Tedrick de Bear is, as I've mentioned, a persona
of author Trefoni Michael Rizzi. But Tedrick is also a real
teddy bear who appears on almost every page of the book. Having
traveled with the author cross-country half a dozen times,
Tedrick has been photographed sitting on the Statue of Liberty's
toe, atop a "hoodoo" in Bryce Canyon, and on more
national park welcome signs than most people have ever seen.
It's Tedrick's voice that explains park features and makes
suggestions about what to see. This makes the book especially
engaging, not only for the six- to ten-year-olds it was written
for, but also for adults.
Teddy's Travels is organized by region,
with chapters dedicated to nine geographic areas from the
North Atlantic and Southeast to The Pacific Northwest (which
includes Alaska) and the West (which includes Hawaii). Another
section covers "special interest" parks, including
national military parks, historic sites, rivers, seashores,
and more. Over thirty national parks and monuments are featured
in the book, and dozens more are listed. Trivia questions
called "Tedrick's Teasers" are scattered through
the pages, and there are plenty of tips for how children can
get the most out of a national park visit and what to look
for at each of the featured parks.
Teddy's Travels is a great way to introduce
kids to America's wonders, and plenty of adults will enjoy
learning about national parks through the eyes of a teddy
bear, too.
Megan
Edwards
9/16/07
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