Arthur's Family Vacation: An Arthur Adventure (West's Physical Activities Series) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Marc Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1996 | Grade Level: P and up | Series: West's Physical Activities Series

Rain ruins the family's stay at the beach until Arthur thinks of activities they can do

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Featuring Arthur's skeptical face and a sneering, inflatable shark strapped to the suitcase-stuffed family car, Brown's cover art gives a good indication of the fun that lies ahead--for young readers, if not necessarily for their favorite aardvark clan. From the moment school lets out for the summer, Arthur grumbles about having to spend a whole week on vacation with his family while best friend Buster heads to Camp Meadowcroak. Arriving at the Ocean View Motel, the family discovers they'll all be sleeping in one tiny room--and swimming in a pool that D.W. insists is smaller than their bathtub. When relentless rains drown their hopes of fun in the sun, their father takes them on a series of soggy field trips, to such attractions as the Cow Festival and Jimmy's Jungle Cruise. Arthur and his family eventually get their day at the beach--but just one, since they must head home the day after the sun finally appears. Offering substantial doses of Brown's trademark understated humor and art brimming with witty details, this diverting caper makes numerous visual references to a popular New England vacation spot. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2. Sure to be popular due to the success of the new PBS television series, these new additions to the series demonstrate the vocal talent of author/illustrator Marc Brown. Arthur's creator reads the texts, giving each character a distinctive voice. He is able to portray the females, like mother and D.W., while avoiding stereotypical high, squeaky voices. The production values on the recordings are excellent, with background music and helpful sound effects. The slamming of car doors, the sound of rain or footsteps, and other sound effects give the tapes the quality of old radio shows. Each tape opens with the theme song, "Say Hello to Arthur." Both sides of each tape are the same except for the page-turning signal bell on one side. In Arthur's Family Vacation, rain ruins the family's stay at the beach until Arthur thinks of activities they can do. In Arthur's Halloween, Arthur and D.W. learn you can't presume a house is haunted just because the outside looks run down. The artwork in each book features Brown's customary cartoon-like ink and watercolor illustrations that add humor to the stories. The tapes work well even without the books.
Penny Peck, San Leandro Public Library, CA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Pap/Cas edition (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316110434
• ISBN-13: 978-0316110433
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.5 x 14 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,930,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marc Brown is the creator of the bestselling Arthur Adventure book series and co-developer of the children's PBS television series, Arthur. He has also created a second book series, featuring D.W., Arthur's little sister, as well as numerous other books for children. Marc Brown lives with his family in Tisbury, Massachusetts on Martha's Vineyard.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Family Trip, October 26, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Arthur's Family Vacation: An Arthur Adventure (Arthur Adventure Series) (Hardcover)

It was Arthur's last day of school and he was going on a vacation. Arthur was thinking about Buster and then Arthur wants to go swimming. Then D.W. wants to and that night they eat lobster and Arthur said that Buster likes lobster. And that morning they went to the cow festival. On the last day they all had fun.

4.0 out of 5 stars Arthur's Family Vacation (Cloth), March 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Arthur's Family Vacation: An Arthur Adventure (Arthur Adventure Series) (Hardcover)

Our family will be taking this book on vacation to the ocean with us this year! Mr. Brown does a great job of showing kids that it is natural to be disappointed when plans don't work out the way we expected. We have found that this tale of our friend Arthur is a great tool for teaching our young boys to be flexible and find the positive aspects of a situation they did not anticipate. It also serves as a great reminder to parents to have a back-up plan!