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Ike LaRue
LaRue Across America Postcards From The Vacation
Bestselling, award-winning author/illustrator Mark Teague makes readers laugh aloud when LaRue goes on vacation with Mrs. Hibbins's cats! Ike's plans for a peaceful cruise with Mrs. LaRue are thwarted when their neighbor, Mrs. Hibbins, falls suddenly ill from heat stroke. Mrs. LaRue suggests that she and Ike care for her cats while Mrs. Hibbins is in the hospital, inviting them along on the cruise. But cats aren't allowed, and Mrs. LaRue decides to take them all on a week's vacation of road-tripping. Ike begs and begs for bus fare in his letters to Mrs. Hibbins, but why does she not respond? As they drive farther and farther from the coast, his wistful dreams of (cont'd)
Paperback
First published March 1, 2011
2 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Mark Teague
143 books121 followersMark Teague has delighted young readers with more than 20 picture books, and he has written many of them himself, including the popular Pigsty, Baby Tamer, and One Halloween Night. He is also the illustrator of Cynthia Rylant's beloved Poppleton series for beginning readers and the best-selling books by Jane Yolen, How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight and How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon.
Mark Teague's life changed when he moved from San Diego to New York City and he planted the seed for his first picture book, The Trouble with the Johnsons. Each of Teague's books start as "notebooks full of sketches and scribbles, strange little drawings and phrases that suddenly come together," Teague explains. And although he had no formal writing training, his endless imagination and understanding nature gives him a permanent place in the hearts of everyone.
Mark and his wife live in Coxsackie, New York, with their young daughter Lily, who has a great time watching her dad paint the pictures in his books.
Mark Teague's life changed when he moved from San Diego to New York City and he planted the seed for his first picture book, The Trouble with the Johnsons. Each of Teague's books start as "notebooks full of sketches and scribbles, strange little drawings and phrases that suddenly come together," Teague explains. And although he had no formal writing training, his endless imagination and understanding nature gives him a permanent place in the hearts of everyone.
Mark and his wife live in Coxsackie, New York, with their young daughter Lily, who has a great time watching her dad paint the pictures in his books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
June 29, 2021
Poor Ike, always to blame when trouble is around. This time he and Mrs. LaRue are on a road trip with the neighbor's two cats. You know what that means... fighting like, well, cats and dogs! And even though those pesky cats started it, somehow Ike is always to blame. But wait, he ... no, he wouldn't... surely not Ike. Another fun read with Ike up to his usual antics.
May 15, 2019
What's better than a picture book written in letter form? It's a cross-country story told in complaining postcard form, written by a dog, about his travels with his owner and 2 "beastly" neighbor cats (his words). What a funny romp across America and a great surprise ending.
November 20, 2017
Check out more picture book reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...
Ike the dog plans a Mexican Cruise with Mrs. LaRue... until their neighbor's hospitalization necessitates them taking in her two cats. So instead they all go on a road trip across America!
I just didn't like this book... I do love cats and dogs but this is just mildly cute due to the postcards that Ike sends back to their neighbor. It was just too contrived for me and there were SOOO MANY WORDS! It was a slog fest for my nephew and we weren't feeling the illustrations either. They are NOT poor illustrations so much as cartoonish and not our speed.
I did appreciate that Ike had to accept that they were NOT going on a cruise like he wanted and in the end befriended his enemies but it was all rather choppy... there wasn't much to HOW that happened. I did also appreciate the postcard format... great to teach a child how to send a thank you card or a note to a grandparent.
I actually thought my nephew would struggle to draw anything from this book but he did pretty good with the last page and only had to leave out one of the cats! While we didn't LOVE and adore this book it is a solid book for pet lovers who may be worried at new animals joining their home. Also the map of America was fun and my nephew and I switched back and forth as they traveled from place to place!
BOTTOM LINE: For Dog and Cat LOVERS and postcard aficionados...
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my picture book reviews in a special feature called Boo's Picture Gallery...
Ike the dog plans a Mexican Cruise with Mrs. LaRue... until their neighbor's hospitalization necessitates them taking in her two cats. So instead they all go on a road trip across America!
I just didn't like this book... I do love cats and dogs but this is just mildly cute due to the postcards that Ike sends back to their neighbor. It was just too contrived for me and there were SOOO MANY WORDS! It was a slog fest for my nephew and we weren't feeling the illustrations either. They are NOT poor illustrations so much as cartoonish and not our speed.
I did appreciate that Ike had to accept that they were NOT going on a cruise like he wanted and in the end befriended his enemies but it was all rather choppy... there wasn't much to HOW that happened. I did also appreciate the postcard format... great to teach a child how to send a thank you card or a note to a grandparent.
I actually thought my nephew would struggle to draw anything from this book but he did pretty good with the last page and only had to leave out one of the cats! While we didn't LOVE and adore this book it is a solid book for pet lovers who may be worried at new animals joining their home. Also the map of America was fun and my nephew and I switched back and forth as they traveled from place to place!
BOTTOM LINE: For Dog and Cat LOVERS and postcard aficionados...
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my picture book reviews in a special feature called Boo's Picture Gallery...
March 25, 2019
Narrated as a series of letters from the perspective of a dog to his neighbor, this picture book isn't as funny as the three others in the LaRue series. The neighbor never responds to Ike's letters, which generates less humor than Ike's owner's failure to respond in the previous LaRue books. Also, there is less contrast in the illustrations between reality and Ike's literary flights of fancy. This is still an enjoyable read, just not quite up to the high standard of the other LaRue gems.
January 17, 2020
I freaking love this book and the series!!!!!
Want the rest of my review? Hit the link below!!!!! And look for the post with the name " LaRue Across America: Postcards From The Vacation"
http://www.KingdomReader.Wordpress.com
Want the rest of my review? Hit the link below!!!!! And look for the post with the name " LaRue Across America: Postcards From The Vacation"
http://www.KingdomReader.Wordpress.com
June 28, 2018
It was very good! The best book I’ve ever read.
April 3, 2020
Not as genius as the other books in the series, but still a very funny picture book with Ike and the Hibbins cats road trippin' across America.
July 1, 2011
Sometimes things just don’t go as planned. Unfortunately for Ike his neighbor’s untimely hospitalization results in the loss of his planned summertime cruise and the addition of two ornery cats to a new drive across the US instead. His own beloved owner, Mrs. LaRue is convinced this will be the perfect solution to not only the cat’s predicament but her proneness to seasickness. Will they make the journey without clawing each other to pieces? And will cats and dogs ever learn to be friends?
This is really just a fun tale of cats and dogs doing what they do best. What’s perfect about this story are the postcards that Ike sends back to the hospitalized Mrs. Hibbins. They range from pleasant to overly aggravated and finally to quite pleased. All Ike is really regretting is having to lose his planned Mexican Cruise, and who really could blame him for that? Anyone, especially adults, who love animals will truly get a kick out of the drama that goes on between these two natural enemies trying to behave in a small space all the way across the country.
With gorgeous illustrations and an incredibly wacky journey readers won’t be able to stop laughing while reading LaRue Across America. With a map to follow along on the back covers this also gives a bit of an educational experience to the read that even younger readers will enjoy. Do Ike and his natural enemies, the cats, ever make up and get to be good friends? Do they make it home or are they destined to spend the rest of their time in a small car? You’ll just have to read this hilarious tale of a summertime vacation gone wrong.
Originally reviewed & copyrighted on my site, There's A Book.
This is really just a fun tale of cats and dogs doing what they do best. What’s perfect about this story are the postcards that Ike sends back to the hospitalized Mrs. Hibbins. They range from pleasant to overly aggravated and finally to quite pleased. All Ike is really regretting is having to lose his planned Mexican Cruise, and who really could blame him for that? Anyone, especially adults, who love animals will truly get a kick out of the drama that goes on between these two natural enemies trying to behave in a small space all the way across the country.
With gorgeous illustrations and an incredibly wacky journey readers won’t be able to stop laughing while reading LaRue Across America. With a map to follow along on the back covers this also gives a bit of an educational experience to the read that even younger readers will enjoy. Do Ike and his natural enemies, the cats, ever make up and get to be good friends? Do they make it home or are they destined to spend the rest of their time in a small car? You’ll just have to read this hilarious tale of a summertime vacation gone wrong.
Originally reviewed & copyrighted on my site, There's A Book.
March 29, 2011
LaRue Across America: Postcards From the Vacation by Mark Teague is one of a series of books featuring Ike LaRue, a dog, his owner Gertrude LaRue, and the (horrid) cats who live next door. In this book, the cat's owner, Mrs. Hibbins, needs to be hospitalized due to a heat wave. Mrs. LaRue offers to care for her cats. She cancels their planned vacation, an ocean cruise with Ike, and replaces it with a cross country trip by car with the cats. Ike immediately starts sending postcards to Mrs. Hibbins in an attempt to get rid of the cats.
This book is hilarious and the illustrations are wonderful. Teague has Ike picturing the way he remembers the event in black and white (since dogs are colorblind) while the real scenes are in color. It's a nice juxtaposition. The endpapers include a map of the United States with their route marked. Ike's self-delusion while he thinks he is covering his true motives should be obvious to children in the target age range, 4-8. (The Lexile score is AD900L, so it's based on adult directed reading.)
I do have one nagging question running through my mind, however. Do people still write postcards? It occurred to me that having Ike send email pleas might be more current than postcards. Certainly most children would now understand email messages.
I am passing this gem of a book along to my niece
This book is hilarious and the illustrations are wonderful. Teague has Ike picturing the way he remembers the event in black and white (since dogs are colorblind) while the real scenes are in color. It's a nice juxtaposition. The endpapers include a map of the United States with their route marked. Ike's self-delusion while he thinks he is covering his true motives should be obvious to children in the target age range, 4-8. (The Lexile score is AD900L, so it's based on adult directed reading.)
I do have one nagging question running through my mind, however. Do people still write postcards? It occurred to me that having Ike send email pleas might be more current than postcards. Certainly most children would now understand email messages.
I am passing this gem of a book along to my niece
April 10, 2011
LaRue is back, this time he must endure Mrs. Hibbins' two cats as companions on his summer vacation. Writing frequent updates to Mrs. Hibbins, LaRue's point-of-view about the vacation's events attempt to discredit the cats at every turn. A great mentor text for letter writing or teaching students about unreliable narrators.
July 15, 2012
Mrs LaRue is going on vacation with Ike -- and two cats are coming along! Oh, no! Just as in previous LaRue books, Ike's doggy view of life does not always match up with reality, causing lots of laughs for kids ages 3-7.
April 25, 2011
Very funny. If you have ever been on a road trip with anyone, you will feel for LaRue and for his car mates!
June 4, 2011
Not nearly as good as the others.
July 4, 2011
Not as clever or fun as previous LaRue outings - makes a case for why authors should stop adding adding adding to "series."
December 4, 2015
I did not enjoy this book - maybe because I am now jealous of A DOG!
July 27, 2018
Such a fun read. I'm excited at the prospective use of this in the classroom for lessons centered around U.S. geography, summer vacation and travel, or even character qualities of patience and perseverance. Loved the use of voice within each of Ike's postcards and the humor that seems to be written at a level that several age groups can appreciate.
The illustrations and expressions of the characters were quite well-matched to the text and added to the fun of this book, as well.
The illustrations and expressions of the characters were quite well-matched to the text and added to the fun of this book, as well.
July 26, 2019
LaRue sends postcards to his neighbor Mrs. Hibbins, as he and Mrs. Gertrude Larue take a road trip across America with her cats in tow as she recovers in the hospital from a heat stroke. Each post card details the events, and antics of her cats, and his pleading to send for them as soon as she can, so that he and Mrs. LaRue can go on the ocean cruise that was actually planned. As always, LaRue is a little over the top in his descriptive writing on his postcards.
February 11, 2019
This book was a really cute book about a dog trying to convince his neighbor to take her cats back so he can enjoy his vacation with his owners. He writes back and forth to her. At the end the cats and dog become friends. Owned by: professor Thompson book.
December 16, 2019
Another enjoyable book in this series. I wish the stops on the road trip were all actually places. Fun and adventurous. Keeping with the themes of the other books in this series. Colorful and busy illustrations.
February 11, 2018
This one was not my favorite LaRue book. However, it was still fun to read.
I love Ike and his postcard antics.
I love Ike and his postcard antics.
August 27, 2020
Words and humor too advanced for 5 year olds and under.
July 2, 2021
Library borrow
January 15, 2022
Fun cross country road trip illustrated book with a dog main character, his owner & their neighbor’s cats. Fun story, great illustrations & an overall fun picture book for kids.
August 18, 2023
Wasn’t a favorite but my kids don’t tend to enjoy stories told through letters. I think they just don’t quite understand the format or humor and get bored quickly.
November 21, 2016
Cute book for kids to learn about fun things in different states.
June 18, 2021
Super fun read with fabulous illustrations!
November 8, 2011
Mrs. LaRue and Ike are at it again! In a moment of generosity, Mrs. LaRue has volunteered to take care of her neighbor’s cats while their owner is in the hospital. However, it will mean cancelling the cruise her and Ike were going to take. However, Mrs. LaRue has a great plan. They will instead drive cross-country, with the two cats! Ike is not pleased by this, and communicates his feelings to the cats’ owner via passive-aggressive postcards.
The narrative in this picture book is told entirely through Ike’s postcards. They only take up a corner in each two-page spread of illustration, so the reader must also rely on the illustrations in order to fully grasp the full story. Ike’s postcards only tell the story from his point-of-view, so he is pretty unreliable narrator. The illustrations have a nice mix of colored and black and white images. It is easy for readers to tell that the black and white images are moments when Ike was not having much fun. The colors convey his feelings throughout the novel. This would be a great mentor text for teaching children about postcards, and how to properly use them. This picture book is highly recommended for grades K-2.
The narrative in this picture book is told entirely through Ike’s postcards. They only take up a corner in each two-page spread of illustration, so the reader must also rely on the illustrations in order to fully grasp the full story. Ike’s postcards only tell the story from his point-of-view, so he is pretty unreliable narrator. The illustrations have a nice mix of colored and black and white images. It is easy for readers to tell that the black and white images are moments when Ike was not having much fun. The colors convey his feelings throughout the novel. This would be a great mentor text for teaching children about postcards, and how to properly use them. This picture book is highly recommended for grades K-2.
Read
June 6, 2014Opening: (Show students a postcard from a destination). Class, what do you think this card is? When have you seen these cards? Can anyone tell me a time when they have sent a post card or received one? We have been learning all about writing letters. One format for writing letters is a postcard. Today will read about our friend LaRue as he travels across America and sends postcards detailing his adventures to Mrs. Hibbins.
Opening Moves: Activate background knowledge, alert children to unusual features of the text such as its structure or narrator, raise interest in the topic or theme, provide important background knowledge
Rationale and Connection: In this text set students are exposed to different formats of letter writing. With this story students are exposed to postcard writing. Many kindergartners enjoy reading the humorous stories of LaRue by Mark Teague.
Book Review Citation: (2011, August 9). Horn Book Guide. http://www.booksinprint.com.leo.lib.u...
Opening Moves: Activate background knowledge, alert children to unusual features of the text such as its structure or narrator, raise interest in the topic or theme, provide important background knowledge
Rationale and Connection: In this text set students are exposed to different formats of letter writing. With this story students are exposed to postcard writing. Many kindergartners enjoy reading the humorous stories of LaRue by Mark Teague.
Book Review Citation: (2011, August 9). Horn Book Guide. http://www.booksinprint.com.leo.lib.u...
November 30, 2011
I love this series. I was laughing out loud while reading this latest enstallment in the series. Ike and Mrs. LaRue take the neighbors cats on a car trip across the United States while the cats' owner is recovering from a heat related accident. Ike writes hilarious postcards to the cats' owner regarding the cats' antics and what he imagines and believes to be their misbeahvior. The cats are not only not sent home immediately, per Ike's requests, but finds himself in hot water with Mrs. LaRue time and time again. The pictures beautiful capture the true relationship between Ike and the cats. I would not read this for a preschool storytime as younger children may not understand some of the text and it may be hard for them to sit through the lengthy text. Older children and even the young at heart will come to love both the dog, his hilarious postcards to the cats owners,and will lead to their own stories about relationships between cats and dogs.
August 22, 2017
I'm not as much a fan of this book as the "Letters From Obedience School." I feel like the juxtaposition between the words of the dog and the actual events of the story isn't quite so dramatic, which reduces the entertainment somewhat. I think this book is going to be somewhat dependent on the child. Obviously, pet-friendly households are going to respond better, though I don't necessarily think that dog-and-cat people are going to enjoy this even more. Especially since, in my personal experience, the rivalry between dogs and cats isn't so much a thing.
I'd say rent it from your library and see how things go before a full purchase. I doubt many will decide to buy, but it's always worth a try, to see if you can expand the oft-repeated books collection and relieve the parents a bit.
I'd say rent it from your library and see how things go before a full purchase. I doubt many will decide to buy, but it's always worth a try, to see if you can expand the oft-repeated books collection and relieve the parents a bit.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews