  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 05/01/1993 PreS-Gr 2-- Poor Arthur! He wants to go to camp with his best friend, but instead he has to go on a family vacation at the beach. As if spending an entire week with his sister D. W. weren't enough, the Ocean View Motel doesn't have a view, the pool is smaller than a bathtub, and their room is a cinderblock cubicle. Even worse, it rains nonstop for days. Arthur remembers that there's always something to do at camp and takes the family on field trips. A Cow Festival, Gatorville, Flo's Fudge Factory, and Jimmy's Jungle Cruise are just a few of sights they take in, and when the sun comes out on Friday, they have a glorious day at the beach. Brown's 17th Arthur adventure is right on target. The gentle irony is reinforced by his distinctive watercolors that capitalize on the humor of the family's situation and their outings. This is a funny story about making the most of a situation for children and a cautionary tale for parents foolhardy enough to go to the beach without contingency plans. A must-buy. --Jeanne Marie Clancy, Upper Merion Township Library, King of Prussia, PA - Copyright 1993 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 05/15/1993 A family vacation sends Arthur into the doldrums as he contemplates a week without his pal Buster. The crowded accommodations at the Ocean View Motel (the ocean's just across the highway behind that shopping center) do little to cheer him. But when rain further dims the prospects for fun, he turns the week around with a series of rainy-day field trips (the local Cow Festival, Gatorville, Flo's Fudge Factory), until the sun comes out and the family hits the beach at last. The colorful illustrations are as lively and as comical as ever, though the picture of Arthur's dad in his bathing suit is a little disconcerting: What are these characters anyway? Humans with animal heads? What kind of animal? And with ears on the tops of their heads, what keeps their sunglasses on? Arthur fans may not give these details a second thought, though, as they devour the latest in this popular series. (Reviewed May 15, 1993) - Copyright 1993 Booklist. Loading...
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