Review: Great Bed Time Read-Aloud Adventure
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 22, 2014
As a child, I was absolutely crazed for the CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE series and the like, buying every one of them at the monthly book fairs. Of course, over time, my tastes "matured" towards Steve Jackson's battle books and Infcom's seminal text-based adventures, but even to this day, a great many moons later, I have the fondest memories of me and my best friend in 6th grade sitting down together with our haul of pick-a-path books and devouring them.SAM AND LIZA GO TO THE BEACH is aimed for a younger readership than those pick-a-path books of the late 70s and early 80s, written with some literary depth that will suit a confident 6 or 7 year old reader when alone.  The Kindle formatting is easy on the eyes, the vibrant section pictures appropriate to the scenes, the paths interlooping and varied, the heading home ending a restful stop.  While I was reading,  I was struck with how an appropriate read-aloud book this would be for preschool, giving the child interaction and a satisfying end that can lend itself easily to the child's own night time conclusion.  The kiss, the wish for a good sleep, the lights out as the child snuggles under the covers, dreaming about their own possible beach side adventures.And speaking as an ancient fan of this style of interactive books, I can think of no better way to really get a child keen on the mental explorations inherent in books than pick-a-paths adventures.  I hope the eBook market for them truly flourishes.