ABC, WHAT DO YOU SEE? ROLLING ALONG ROUTE 66

Murray’s debut, this ABC book takes upper elementary readers on an alphabetical journey across the American West along iconic Route 66.

Opening with a regional U.S. map that shows the winding path of Route 66 across eight states, from Illinois to California, Murray’s picture book takes readers on an alphabetical journey as much as a geographic tour. The author uses mostly sentence fragments, featuring words beginning with a certain letter to outline specific locations encountered on the famous highway. For example, G includes the cities “Galena” and “Glendora,” the “Gemini Giant” and the “Gateway Arch” landmarks, and the more common sights of “Gila monsters” and “gift shops.” Not every letter has attractions conveniently assigned to it, and sometimes Murray must give a more general description: “N is for National Parks. Neon signs illuminating the Night sky.” Cole’s hand-drawn illustrations and watercolor pictures are superimposed on maps and feature a black-and-white road stretching across every two-page spread. The book is a celebration of this famous stretch of American highway. Though Murray includes a list indicating where some of the landmarks are, others remain a mystery, such as a trio of sauropod dinosaurs depicted next to a sign reading “Rock Shop” on the L page. Oddly, no historical context is given for Route 66 itself—and no mention of its relationship to Native American history—but readers may be compelled to learn more.

An eclectic presentation of roadside sights and a good basic guide to the American West.