Find Momo: Coast to Coast - Andrew Knapp

Summary:  Momo loves to hide—and you’ll love looking for him! In this follow-up toFind Momo, the canine Instagram superstar (and his best buddy, Andrew Knapp) travel across the United States and Canada, visiting iconic landmarks and unique off-the-map marvels. Look for Momo hiding in Grand Central Station, in front of the White House, and in the French Quarter of New Orleans . . . as well as at diners, bookstores, museums, and other locales that only a seasoned road-tripper like Andrew could find. It’s part game, part photography book, and a whole lot of fun. (Summary and image from goodreads.com.  I was provided a copy in exchange for an honest review.)

Review:  Sometimes taking a road trip is exhausting, especially with kids in tow.  And, taking it from one who knows, road tripping with a dog takes either nerves of steel, or a dog in a class of its own.   Andrew and Momo, the Instagram-famous duo of photographer and hide-and-seek mastery, return documenting their own road trip from Eastern Canada, down the Atlantic coastline, across the South, up the Pacific Coast, and home.  Not only did their sojourn take months, they stopped to play hide-and-seek along the way, make new friends, and enjoy the land.  Andrew shares snippets of memories and travel tidbits, but again, the main attraction of this book is the incredible photography.

I am blown away by the photographs Knapp has included.  Pair that with the obvious training he's accomplished with Momo, and this was a book I thoroughly enjoyed, before it was hijacked by my daughter.  Not only does she love trying to find Momo in the photographs, she loses herself in the colors, textures, and stories of each one.  She's read the book more times than I can count, carrying it around the house, outside, in the car ... wherever she can, she's diving in.  I love watching her imagination take wing as she appreciates these photographs.  

There are a lot of articles floating around the interwebs about the benefits of wordless or word-few books.  They allow children to create a story of their own, flex those imaginative muscles, and expand their understanding.  They promote dialog between parent and child.  Books like Find Momo: Coast to Coast facilitate that so well, especially since the vignettes featured are recognizable, if not well-known.

Rating:  Four and a half stars.  As an adult, I wish there was just a little more detail about the locations and the route Knapp chose.