Airport: A Bold, Colorful Picture Book About Flying and Airplanes for Kids (Ages 4-8)

Both of my children loved this book at about age 2-3. In both cases, it made them excited about flying, and about airports and airplanes in general. The pictures are outstanding, with terrific use of perspective. The panoramic view of the interior of the aircraft cabin is especially eye-catching. The text is very simple, and elegantly concise, with just a few words on each page. The narrative, such as it is, is told mainly through the pictures. The group of passengers is followed from when they arrive at the airport until their plane takes off, although some pictures (of the interior of the control tower and the cockpit) do not show the passengers. Many of the passengers are easily identified from page to page (the family of three, the man with the cowboy hat, or my daughter's favorite - the man with the beard and glasses), if you want to trace their individual journeys, but this is pretty much optional; the text does not mention specific passengers. The book is quite old, dating from 1982, but has aged remarkably well. A more modern book would make more mention of going through security, and operators of 747s (which were fairly new at the time of printing) replaced the upstairs lounge shown in the book with more seating pretty quickly. Also, the clothes have dated somewhat - the women almost all wear dresses, hats for men and women are common, and people are generally dressed more formally than would be the case now. But these are very minor quibbles. And on the other hand, I was especially impressed by the fact that the book depicts an ethnically diverse group of passengers, which is not typical for a book of that vintage. For our kids, we have paired it with Maisy Goes on a Plane which, while aimed at older children, does cover security, and the experience of actually flying (whereas Airport stops at take-off). Between the two of them, these books capture the key elements of flying quite nicely for small children (although neither really prepares them for the interminable queues!)

Once I received this, I started reading it to my 1.5 year old a couple weeks before a cross country flight. It was perfect. It takes you through all the steps that you go through at the airport, from arriving by bus or car to taking off, all in a way that's easy for even a young toddler to understand. It quickly became her favorite book and she was saying "airport" in no time. She did wonderfully at the airport and in flight. This book definitely helped prepare her for what to expect in what could potentially be a scary experience for young kids. I'd definitely recommend this book.

I ordered this book for my 16 month old daughter to help her get ready for her first plane trip. My husband and I had been pointing out planes in the sky to her, so when this book arrived, she instantly zeroed in on the illustrations of planes in the air. It quickly became her new favorite book, and she wanted to read it every night before bed, plus several times throughout the day. Before long, she became interested in the entire story: people arriving at the airport, checking in, preparing the plane, boarding, and taking off. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and nicely detailed. My daughter especially enjoyed little touches like the cat in the carrier at check-in, the colorful flags atop the terminal, and the boy and his parents who appear on several pages. (She always stops to point out "mama" and "dada.") The words themselves are simple, and a nice complement to the far more involved illustrations. We bought the paperback version, which made it a great size to tuck into a bag to read at the airport and on the plane itself. Having tackled her first flight, if anything my daughter is even more interested in this book now. Written in 1982, the content is still quite relevant and accurate, even if some minor details have changed. (My husband and I smiled to see so many of the passengers on the plane reading books--no laptops or iPads here!)

I purchased this book to help my 19 month old prepare for an upcoming airplane trip. She really loves looking at it & having it read to her. She points to all the suitcases & to the cargo hold, where the restroom is, etc.,.. We explain about waiting in lines, where she will be sitting in her car seat next to Momma & Daddy, and how passengers are reading books and having quiet conversations, all through using the illustrations. this book is quite simple, not too many words. The pictures are colorful, simple and easy to understand.

This book is a good introduction to the sequence of events a child can expect to see when they take an airplane flight. The storyline, such as it is, unobtrusively follows a young boy and his family through the process -- arriving at the airport in a bus, standing in the ticket line, sitting in the waiting area, boarding the plane and finding your seat, and getting buckled in. There are also picture showing the crew preparing the airplane, the control tower okaying the plane for takeoff, the pilot and crew in the cockpit, and the jet taking off. There is a very nice cross-section showing the jet's fuselage, cargo hold, etc. Each picture is a brightly colored two-page spread, and my two-year old enjoys this book. My quibbles are small. It would have been nice to see some more children in the pictures; and in one scene we see the little boy buckling up in a window seat on the lefthand side of the plane, but on takeoff we see him look ing out a window on the righthand side. A small enough mistake, but what if a child notices this and begins to worry that airplanes do not obey the laws of physics or logic? Will you be prepared to advance explanations that will not confuse? Seriously, it's a nice book that should inform small children, and even help them when they first experience an airport.

Anything by Byron Barton is great!

This book worked out great for us in preparation for my daughter's first plane trip. She was 18 months at the time. We read it a few times and talked about all the different things that happen at airports and on planes. Our traveling went so well I couldn't believe it. We watched through the airport window excitedly while our plane pulled up to the gate, loaded onto the plane with no hassle, and then found our seats with lots of happy smiles. Before take-off she was so excited that she was bouncing on the seat saying " I plane! I plane!" Then she snuggled into my wrap and fell asleep for the whole trip... No fear, no worries. I recommend this book to anyone planning to take their toddler on a plane.

My 2yr old (25mo) absolutely loved this book. We read it many times while we were on a plane & then many more times since then. The illustrations are wonderful. They are simple scenes, but to a 2yr old, they help take the anxiety out of traveling. We watch a young boy arrive at the airport with his parents, make his way through the gates & onto the plane. The words are brief, but there's so much more to the story in the illustrations. Perfect for a 2 year old that enjoys spotting new things & exploring.