This would be a good book for a child before they go on an airplane for the first time. I love the illustrations and the style of the book.

Six-year-old Alex is preparing for the adventure of a lifetime: he will fly on a plane by himself to visit his grandparents and cousins across the vast blue ocean. With four days left to go, many preparations must still be made on both sides. Gifts must be purchased, bags must be packed, and plans must be made. As the big moment inches closer, Alex marks off days on his calendar and his anticipation builds. Finally, he is escorted onto a large airplane by a kind flight attendant and is on his way to the warm and welcoming arms of his extended family.

Collage-based illustrations coupled with detailed drawings in colored pencils are the dynamic visual feature of this book and include primarily light-skinned characters spanning a range of ages. These images feel like a travel journal in their delivery and give the reader extensive material for viewing throughout the book. A brown paper world map appears at the very beginning of the book to provide perspective about the size of the Earth and the continents and oceans it contains. Each spread in the book is split into two parts, one depicting Alex’s preparations in the North and the other showing his extended family’s actions in the South. Tabs featuring an airplane and compass rose help orient readers to where the action is taking place and give a sense of movement to the story.

The text is best suited to early elementary school-aged readers because of its length and small font size. Readers are more likely to be engaged with the illustrations than the text, but listening to the story aloud will be enjoyable, as well. Small paragraphs of text that include dialogue and description propel the narrative and deliver the story in bite-sized chunks.

Uniquely executed, this travel adventure is an exciting adventure for young readers. No matter where family lives in the world, readers will recognize the excitement and delight in traveling to reconnect after time apart. This is an enjoyable addition to libraries for elementary school-aged readers.

The concept is fine. We are all excited to meet our relatives living somewhere else. It would have been more fun reading this one during the cold season.

The story might be confusing for kids. Because there's a lot of rushing here and there and the storyline not structured well for kids I feel.

The art sequence seems repetitive and in no order. The colour combinations work fine.

The ending was good.

Thanks to the author, artist and the publisher for the advance reading copy.