Keeping Daddy Awake on the Way Home from the Beach

Both of these fold-out frieze books are sort of shaggy dog stories. The fact is, in the first book, nothing keeps Daddy awake; Mom must take over the wheel and get the family home safely. And in the second book, the reason the sister is put off by sailing is that she never stays awake long enough to catch all the action, and there is a lot going on. The pages can become a map of either the boat ride or the car trip; Chwast's wry drawings are colored in just-right summertime shades of turquoise, sandy beiges, mint greens and cool corals. Ziefert keeps the text simple and unembellished, letting the pictures fill out the details. Not very substantial but certainly good for some lightweight fun. (3-7)