Vagabonding

Vagabonding by Audra George
2006

     A girl looks out her window and sees a caravan of vagabonds.  Her imagination kicks in and she wonders what it would be like to trade places with one of them and travel around the world.  "A traveler, a vagabond, is all I want to be." "Without looking back, and shedding no tears, I'll trek around the globe, with golden hoops in my ears."  She imagines biking through Holland, dancing in Hawaii, meditating  with Buddha, painting in Paris, visiting the Taj Mahal, the pyramids, and the British Parliament.   But after all the daydreaming, she realizes she's not quite ready to leave home for that long. "A traveler, a vagabond! To wander and to roam, for maybe oh...and hour or so..."
     Vagabonding encourages kids to think about the world as a place full of places to explore.  It's a cute book to introduce them to major world cities and landmarks.  The illustrations are enjoyable and I like the fact that the people drawn, including the main character who's African American, are quite diverse.  The text is a bit awkward, especially since the rhyming seemed to come in and out throughout the book.  It's a good tale about travelling and a story for students to mirror using their own summer/travel experiences.