The Airport Book written and illustrated by Lisa Brown

From Goodreads: In a book that is as intriguing as it is useful and entertaining, we follow a family on its way through the complexities of a modern-day airport. From checking bags and watching them disappear on the mysterious conveyor belt, to security clearance and a seemingly endless wait at the gate to finally being airborne.

The Airport Book is one of those books that has a lot to look at and makes for a good book in the car or at a restaurant. The book has two storylines you can follow, the collection of visual stories in the pictures and the one being told by the text. I’ve already recommended it to other mom friends who are heading out on their first plane trip with their kids because the story in the text is a fairly simple narration of what to expect when you travel by plane.

Other happenings at the airport include the little girl’s stuffed monkey taking a special trip, a man carrying a large and suspicious package (don’t worry, it ends well), a girl’s soccer team traveling together, and a pair of kids traveling by themselves. Some pages feature more things going on and really provide an opportunity for parents to ask their children questions about what they see and if they can spot things.

As far as ages, I think it’s better for younger audiences (kindergarten and below). While the illustrations do have a number of stories to look at and follow through the pages, they don’t have the visual complexity of a Where’s Waldo? book, I Spy, or even Mamoko. I find those to be more inline with what grade school kids are interested in.

As you can see on the cover the book features racial diversity. You see this in the people in the airport, but most notably with the family that has a white mother and black father. This is the kind of diversity I’m looking for. Where it’s incidental to the story. Also where it isn’t showing the black family as poor or enslaved. I do have young kids in my library and because this is the kind of diversity I want to support I will buy a copy.