Are We There Yet?: A Journey around Australia

Publishers Weekly

Lester (The Snow Pony) takes readers on a sprightly tour of her native Australia, placing them in the pleasant company of narrator Grace, her parents and two brothers. The bustling artwork is as key to this engaging travelogue as is the chirpy narration. Eight-year-old Grace balances anecdotes about family interaction with descriptions of landmarks they visit and activities they enjoy. Pulling an old camper behind their car, the clan sets off on a three-month trip, heading in a clockwise direction from their home on Australia's southern coast and around the perimeter of the continent, with several forays inland. Framed full-page illustrations depict the family listening to singing whales from the cliffs at Head of Bight and hiking around the giant red rock Uluru ("a huge red heart, right in the middle of the country"). Spot illustrations show the siblings hiding behind the Pinnacles that poke up through the sand "like giant limestone fingers," and a view of the Bungle Bungles from inside a helicopter. Other highlights include snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef ("a swirling underwater carnival of fish and coral"), sheep-shearing at some friends' farm and a picnic as fireworks explode over Sydney harbor. Lester's brisk visual and verbal pace gives readers an appreciation for the variegated topography and diverse animal population of her homeland and may well prompt future visits. And kids will surely nod in recognition at Grace's younger brother's familiar refrain, which gives the book its title. Ages 5-9. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

The year Grace turns eight, her parents take the family on a journey all over Australia. They start from their home town of Binnum and first stop at the coast. They see pelicans and the boulders known as Murphy's Haystacks. Next is a two day drive across the Nullabor Plain to the Head of Bight, where they see and hear whales. They then travel into the desert and visit Wave Rock and the Pinnacles. Grace imagines that the Pinnacles are the claws and teeth of a huge monster buried underground. The family snorkels at Turquoise Bay, visits the Outback, and sees the Uluru. In the far north of Australia, a circus elephant eats Grace's hat. A visit to Sydney, Canberra, and Wilsons Promontory wraps up the trip for Grace and her family. Lester's colorful and humorous illustrations are the best part of the book. Grace's narrative consists of little more than a recitation of the places they went. Even though the subject matter is interesting, the delivery could be more exciting. 2005, Kane/Miller, Ages 5 up.
—Amie Rose Rotruck

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-Eight-year-old Grace describes a three-month trip around Australia with her Mum; Dad; older brother, Luke; and younger brother, Billy (he's the one who keeps up the refrain of the title). Hitching up Poppa's old camper trailer behind their car, this amiable family takes a winter term off from school to experience the remarkable diversity of their country. The varied layout, with text judiciously interspersed among the appealing illustrations, gives readers the experience of browsing through a family album. This is more than just a sightseeing tour as the family members react and interact, often humorously, on their journey. (Mother is afraid of heights-until that scary bungee ride at Surfers Paradise, which she loves). The text assumes local knowledge, (e.g., the Nullarbor Plain, Quokkas, or the Bungle Bungles) without benefit of a glossary, though a detailed map on the front endpapers clearly labels locations and sights. Young armchair travelers interested in Australia may be limited in number, but those who embark will find this an enjoyable trip.-Caroline Ward, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A three-month odyssey around Australia forms this infectiously enthusiastic love letter to the author's homeland. Grace is excited and sad as she sets out with her family, but she adapts to life on the road, illustrating her journeys with cheery watercolor vignettes that are glossed with just the right amount of childlike detail: "The quokkas came so close to me, I could see their tiny whiskers." Seating arrangements in the car are given equal weight with the fabulous sights, and their travels are punctuated by Billy's question: "Are we there yet?" A map showing the family's path along the coastline-with several detours-introduces the journey; periodically, details of that map appear to describe their progress. Restrained design gives the sense of a scrapbook without trying to mimic one-a happy decision, given the delicacy of both illustrations and text. The eventual homecoming is as sweetly perfect as the journey that precedes it. North American kids will be left with both a far greater understanding of the varied wonders of Australia and a sense that their own homeland may offer similarly gorgeous possibilities. (Picture book. 5-9)