Austin, Lost in America: A Geography Adventure

by Jef Czekaj, Jef Czekaj (Illustrator)

Overview

For fans of The Scrambled States of America, this is an irresistible new geography picture book—featuring an adorable dog character, unbelievable facts about all fifty states, maps, capitals, and so much more!

Austin grew up in a pet store, but he dreamed of finding a real home. . . . So one night he takes off with his trusty map and backpack to go in search of it.

In Ohio, he is almost bitten . . . by a policeman.

In Florida, he is invited for dinner . . . to be the main course.

And in Oregon, he finds the world’s smallest park.

Will he ever find the place where he truly belongs?

Follow Austin across America on a madcap journey in which he travels to each of the fifty states. Packed with fascinating facts and doggy tidbits that seem almost too crazy to be true . . . this book makes learning geography a blast.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062280176
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/01/2015
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jef Czekaj is a cartoonist, children’s book author and illustrator, and musician. His comic, Grampa and Julie: Shark Hunters, ran in Nickelodeon magazine for more than ten years. Jef’s other picture books include Cat Secrets and Dog Rules; Oink-a-Doodle-Moo; and Austin, Lost in America. He lives in Somerville, MA. You can visit him online at www.czekaj.com.

Jef Czekaj is a cartoonist, children’s book author and illustrator, and musician. His comic, Grampa and Julie: Shark Hunters, ran in Nickelodeon magazine for more than ten years. Jef’s other picture books include Cat Secrets and Dog Rules; Oink-a-Doodle-Moo; and Austin, Lost in America. He lives in Somerville, MA. You can visit him online at www.czekaj.com.

Editorial Reviews

Full of colorful, energetic images in [Czekaj’s] typical witty style, with laugh-out-loud graphic novel-style scenes from start to finish… A recommended purchase.” — School Library Journal

Praise for OINK-A-DOODLE-MOO: “This circular tale offers plenty of laughs, and children will love to join in on the wacky string of animal sounds. A great storytime choice....Pass it on.” — School Library Journal

Praise for OINK-A-DOODLE-MOO: “Get ready for many, ever-sillier rereadings.” — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for OINK-A-DOODLE-MOO: “Czekaj wrings an impressive amount of humor from a simple conceit; the story will likely have children ready to play telephone (or just make some animal noises).” — Publishers Weekly

Praise for OINK-A-DOODLE-MOO: “The simple compositions, dynamic posed animals, bright colors, and large word bubbles will make this as successful with larger groups as it will be with an audience of a few.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Praise for CAT SECRETS: “There’s readalone potential here as well as readaloud, but most of all there’s pretend-to-be-a-kitty potential, and kids will find the opportunity irresistible.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Praise for CAT SECRETS: “The book has obvious appeal as a read-aloud, with its instructions and large-format cartoons, but it has the intimacy of a story to be read independently.” — School Library Journal

Praise for CAT SECRETS: “Irresistible cartoon art.” — ALA Booklist

Praise for CAT SECRETS: “Expressive, high-contrast, high-energy cartoons.” — Publishers Weekly

Praise for HIP AND HOP, DON’T STOP: “”The bright colors and engaging characters will grab children’s attention.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Praise for OINK-A-DOODLE-MOO: “The simple compositions, dynamic posed animals, bright colors, and large word bubbles will make this as successful with larger groups as it will be with an audience of a few.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Praise for CAT SECRETS: “Irresistible cartoon art.

ALA Booklist

Praise for OINK-A-DOODLE-MOO: “The simple compositions, dynamic posed animals, bright colors, and large word bubbles will make this as successful with larger groups as it will be with an audience of a few.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

2015-06-16
A pet-store dog tired of not having a home escapes and heads across the country in search of one.Austin, who appears to be some sort of terrier, explores the country by region, beginning in the Northeast with Maine. But although each state has some fascinating tidbit to share (some more substantial than others), none is a perfect fit for Austin. Hershey, Pennsylvania, is the home of Hershey chocolate; the world's largest fire hydrant is in Columbia, South Carolina; and a town in West Virginia hosts an annual water-tasting competition. While many of the early states feature some solid facts, their overall relevance seems to decline as Austin's search goes on, each state reduced to one or two, sometimes clichéd, bits of trivia (Alaska's Iditarod, New Mexico's hot air balloon festival, the hula in Hawaii). Each state entry presents the outline of the state, the capital clearly labeled, but readers will have to turn to the endpapers to see where each state fits into the larger map of the U.S. (Endpapers also label the capitals, block the regions by color, and show Austin's route.) Cartoon ink illustrations colored in Photoshop use panels and spreads to cram as many states as possible into limited space.Not the best introduction to the country in terms of either facts or a geography lesson. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews