Adèle and Simon in America

Written by: Barbara McClintock

First line: Adèle and Simon had traveled all the way from Paris to New York City to visit their Aunt Cècile.

Why you should read this book: The landscapes and landmarks of America come to life in the charming illustrations of the title characters exploring the country by train a hundred years ago. Aunt Cècile clearly reminds Simon not to lose any of his important travel gear, but everywhere they go, Simon finds his possessions missing until his stuff is basically spread out across the contiguous states, and every stop involves a fruitless search for the things he's lost track of. Fortunately, his prescient aunt has marked everything with his name and address, and Simon find a multitude of surprises waiting for him at the end of the journey.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You can't imagine giving a small child who is prone to losing everything his very own pair of binoculars. You can't even imagine taking someone else's children on a weeks-long train trip.