Camel Caravan

From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 2?Jumping and stumping on their way, a group of discontented camels leave the desert only to discover that there is no place like home. Bumped in boxcars and whumped by fussy bus passengers, they give up pumping bikes and stump on to a plane from which they jump with parachutes so that they can once again clump about the desert. Staccato phrasing and the rhyme make this a fun read-aloud. The "ump" sounds readily invite enthusiastic participation as children thump, and occasionally slump, with these voyaging dromedaries. The various types of travel from trucks to boats are easily identifiable in the illustrations. The double-page spreads in a warm, softly bright palette of cut paper collage capture the mood and action of the text. The amusing expressions and positions of these five malcontents, whose broad shapes fill the pages, further enhance the fun. Lines that draw readers into the action also catapult their eyes beyond the boundaries of the pages. Youngsters will enjoy this merry romp with these "ships of the desert."?Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MACopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. From