The Children’s Travel Journal by Ann Banks, ill. Adrienne Hartman. Little Bookworm, $13.97 (ages 9-12)

The best thing about this journal is that there is no right or wrong way to approach it! No boring school assignments, the collection of possible topics includes landmarks, food and restaurants, museums and galleries, and "I’ll never forget." The journal offers lined pages for your young writer’s impressions, plus imaginative words to prompt inspiration while on the road. Jennifer Guterman

The Klutz Etch-A-Sketch Book Klutz Press, $16.95 (ages 6 and up)

Klutz, that indefatigably imaginative California think tank of kids’ fun educational books, has come up with a neat twist on the dreaded video game: Klutz Etch-A-Sketch. Their variation on the classic twist-the-knobs-to-draw game is the addition of clear vinyl overlays, whose images can be traced to create etch-a-mazes, etch-a-mini-golf, etch-a-battlefield and other incarnations previously confined to the handheld video game medium. The 40-page spiral-bound accompanying book can teach you how to make twists, turns, and curves. FTF Staff

Coast to Coast Games Rand McNally, $3.95 (ages 6-11)

Summary: A work book jam-packed full of maps, mazes, facts, crosswords, riddles, word searches, landmarks, fun places to visit and hidden pictures. Will your kids like it? I give it an A-. Although I liked it, some games are too babyish and some have too many words. Jesse Spielman, age 11

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