Round Trip

Round Trip by Ann Jonas
1992

     "We started out as soon as it was light."  The family was going on a day trip to the city.  On their way they pass fields, mountains, the coast and the marshy inlets until they finally reach the city with it's bright lights and skyscrapers.  After going to the movie theater and climbing to the top of the tallest building, they watch as the sun goes down.  Then they begin their trip back home.
     There isn't much to say about Round Trip's plot: trip there and back.  Its magic lies in the illustrations and design of the book.  It's drawn completely in black and white.  You read the book straight through, looking at the landscapes described in each page until you get to the last page where the sun goes down and you are told it's "time to turn around."  The family turns around to head back home, and we readers need to physically turn the book around and begin reading going the other way.  It's amazing to see how the images that were meant to be one thing before, now match the new text when looked at upside down. It's a lot of fun and flat out impressive.