Alistair and Kip's Great Adventure by John Segal

Alistair and Kip's Great Adventure by John Segal

Rating: 4 stars

This book makes me want to move right into the children's book section and never leave. Maybe I'll try to dive right into this book and live there. No wonder why adults like me just love children's books and read them over and over again, regardless if the kids are asleep already. Doesn't everyone want to live in a world where you and your best friend have all the necessary material for a boat on hand, can construct a solid rowboat within a few hours, and then row it safely down the creek, to the river, and then the bay, just looking for adventure? It makes me want to re-read Huck Finn! As if that's not enough--and maybe it should be enough for those adventuresome little readers who might actually try such a feat--Alistair the cat and Kip the dog also capsize due to a giant wave, find a beach to rescue themselves, and then realize the beach is actually a kind whale who swims them back through the bay, up the river, and to the creek, back to their houses.

I mean, c'mon! Sign me up for that adventure! What fun! And the whale doesn't even get stuck! I think that Segal's decision to leave out that reality (of the likelihood of a whale getting stuck in a creek) is so thoughtful. I mean, why shouldn't kids' imaginations run wild, why shouldn't they believe it's possible for a big ol' whale to come swimming up the same creek that they themselves can wade across? I love it! I also love the absence of adults in this book: their mothers aren't hovering over them worriedly; they apparently trust the two friends with tools and time, and it turns out great for everyone in the end. And, in that end, one friend looks at the other and asks, "How about tomorrow we build an airplane?" Count me in!

Such a sweet book. It does make me wonder at what point kids need to step out of the bubble created by a good book and realize a bunch of things that I sure don't want Lorelei and Ben to realize? Hopefully I can wait a few years before answering that one.

Bravo, John Segal. We are fans!