Vagabonding [Hardcover]

Audra George (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A young girl fantasizes about traveling the world on her own, independent and free-spirited. She imagines the many wonderful things she would do at the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, at a Buddhist monastery--and many other places--before she realizes that the comfort of home and family can be just as appealing.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—An African-American girl imagines that travelers come to town and that she changes places with a vagabond boy and goes traveling everywhere, ending: "A traveler,/a vagabond!/To wander/and to roam,/for maybe oh…/an hour or so…/And then I'll go back home!" The cartoon illustrations are well done and full of action, as the youngster visits the Taj Mahal, Holland, the Eiffel Tower, etc., and the text is framed on some pages with tassels hanging off a curtain, as if from a gypsy wagon. The overall effect is good, but the text is puzzlingly inconsistent, sometimes rhyming and sometimes not. A literal child might also wonder what the vagabond boy is wearing while the girl traipses around the world in his clothes-and apparently loses his red head scarf by the end. The book might conceivably be used as an example for a simple creative-writing assignment on a student's summer vacation experiences, imaginary or real. The illustrations are full of life, but the story is very slight and somewhat awkward.—Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA
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Review

As a vagabond caravan passes by a young girl's home, it sparks her to imagine trading places with one of the traveler children and going on a worldwide trek. She imagines visiting the windmills in Holland, dancing the hula in Hawaii, deep sea diving, visiting a Buddhist temple, the Eiffel Tower, and Taj Mahal, and riding a camel in the Egyptian desert. Her imaginary travels wind up at home where she realizes that she' d really only like to be gone maybe an hour or so. Although the story line is rather simple, the illustrations have an appealing whimsy that should kindle a child's own imaginary travels to exotic locales. --ChildrensPictureBook.info Review (Feb. 2007)

When reviewing books by college kids, do I shelve my standards? Do I give ''em a break, put my skepticism on hold, temporarily suspend my snarky disdain for the mediocre, the boring, the been-there-read-that cliches? Or do I give 'em a dose of harsh, welcome to the real world, Toto-we're-not-in-Kansas-anymore reality? I didn't know what to expect when the nice folks at Red Cygnet emailed to say they had this new idea for an imprint: picture books by college art students. I was pretty sure I wouldn''t see stick figures in crayon. After that, who knew? Fortunately, the lot has proved decent enough, and this one stood out for its simplicity, though darned if that rhyme scheme keeps fading in and out. The illustrations, however, are sprightly and appealing as a girl trades places with a gypsy or "vagabond" and dons a red kerchief and gold hoop earrings. We get a quickie around-the-world tour--from Sydney to Tibet to the Taj Mahal and Paris and then, of course, back home in time for supper. The back flap says George studied travel sketching, and the book has the simplicity of doodles filled out with dabs of watercolor. Bonus points for portraying a full rainbow of ethnicities too. Rating: *\*\*\ (Excellent) --BookBuds, October 2006

This story traverses the mind of a young girl eager to travel and explore. With ideas of traveling to enchanting places in the world, this story promotes the power of imagination and of dreams. It speaks also of the comfort of home. The descriptive illustrations take us on a journey all over world and even under the sea. Through example, this story gives the opportunity for the reader to understand exactly what it means to be a vagabond. --Children's Literature

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Red Cygnet Press, Inc.; 1st edition (September 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601080107
• ISBN-13: 978-1601080103
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 8.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,869,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A whimsical trip around the world!, April 2, 2007

By 

Lauren Aguilar "elementary school teacher" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vagabonding (Hardcover)

I picked up this book about a month ago for my 1st grade class as a fun supplement to our geography lessons. There aren't many children's books about travel so I was pleasantly surprised to find one! And I absolutely love it! The simplicity of the illustrations and the fun George has with the main character: a little girl who fantasizes about traveling around the world with just a hobo sack. It is a quick & simple read, but what has my class buzzing is the whimisical illustrations. They love to pick it up and get lost in the drawings, especially the full color page spreads in the middle of the book.

I highly reccommend this book for young children who are just starting out to read and to anyone who wants to expose kids to the art of world travel. As an avid traveler, I think it's great to have a book like this to get kids to open up their eyes to a world outside of the United States or wherever they happen to live. Like I said, there aren't many children's books about travel and hopefully George will continue to fill this void. "Vagabonding" is a wonderfully refreshing way to bust into the children's book scene and I really look forward to new projects by her.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Have sketchpad, will travel, December 4, 2006

By 

Anne B. Levy "bookbuds.net" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vagabonding (Hardcover)

This first effort by the author/illustrator stands out for its simplicity and free spirit. The illustrations are sprightly and appealing as a girl trades places with a gypsy or "vagabond" and dons a red kerchief and gold hoop earrings. We get a quickie around-the-world tour--from Sydney to Tibet to the Taj Mahal and Paris and then, of course, back home in time for supper.

The back flap says George studied travel sketching, and the book has the quirky feel of doodles filled out with dabs of watercolor. Bonus points for portraying a full rainbow of ethnicities too.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the beauty of Wanderlust, September 12, 2006

By 

Bruce Glassman "red cygnet press" (san diego, ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vagabonding (Hardcover)

Here's a book that celebrates one child's imagination, adventurousness, love of world cultures, and appreciation of home and family. George's casual, facile style lends the book a comfortable, cozy feeling--simple, appealing, and accessible for young readers. Her prose matches her illustrations in its simplicity, creating almost a kind of haiku effect. Completely charming.