The Little Black Book of Walt Disney World The Essential Guide to All the Magic
April 7, 2009 by Family Vacations · Leave a Comment
The Little Black Book of Walt Disney World The Essential Guide to All the Magic
Travel Roundup: Best Travel Series of the Year, 2008. Hooper, Brad (author). FEATURE. First published September 15, 2008 (Booklist). We select the Little Black Travel Books as our travel guide series of the year. The main reasons for designating these guides as best of the year are their portability and user friendliness. (The spiral binding allows the reader to keep the book open to a certain page.) Individual volumes are small enough to fit into a pocket, but in terms of helpfulness, they are twice their physical dimensions. The other reason these guides are so worthy of praise is the fact that each volume has a neat, tidy, and nicely detailed foldout map to the particular area under discussion. The chapters in each volume correspond to the geographical areas into which the authors divide the city for the tourist. Each chapter gives basics on places to see, available art, and entertainment venues, places to eat and drink, where to shop, and where to stay. You can study a range of guides before your actual trip, but this is definitely a commendable candidate for carrying with you on site. Little Black Travel Books (Peter Pauper Press). –Booklist (American Library Association)
When I buy a guidebook, I usually look for the Frommer’s $ a Day budget guides — Washington D.C. from $80 a Day, Paris from $95 a Day, etc. Why? Well, mostly because I’m a creature of habit. I started buying the Frommer’s and Let’s Go guides years ago because they focus on budget travel. Let’s Go is great for backpackers and those on a really tight budget. Frommer’s is a bit more mature but still budget-minded (think hotels rather than hostels), and I like their ”Suggested Itineraries” section and their maps (Frommer’s maps are among the best). But now that there are so many other guidebooks to choose from, I buy Frommer’s mostly because I can be in and out of the store in minutes rather than hours and I know I’ll come home with a reliable guide. Then, just this past month, everything changed… I discovered something new… You see, when I went to the bookstore to pick up guidebooks for my upcoming honeymoon, I got an idea… Since we’re going around the world with stops in Milan, Lake Como, Dubai, Shanghai, and Tokyo, and I needed to buy a guidebook for each destination. Why not, I thought, buy five different guidebooks (from five different publishers) and compare them to find my favorite. So that’s what I did. I bought one brand for each stop and then, on my way out, I saw a little Paris guide I’d never seen (or heard of) before. So I picked that up too. (I go to Paris at least once a year so I can never have enough Paris guidebooks.) Here’s what I found… and it surprised me: My favorite book of all — for both pre-trip planning and on-the-ground support — is The Little Black Book of Paris. The other guides I bought are all divided into sections this way: Where to Stay, Where to Eat, What to Do. But The Little Black Book of Paris is divided by area. And each area has its own fold-out map (which, to be honest, blows the Frommer’s maps out of the water). While the guide doesn’t have an entire history or culture section like most of the others do — Lonely Planet, TimeOut, Fodor’s, etc — it’s well written and there’s an overview of each area at the beginning of each section. I liked the guide so much I went back to the bookstore to buy more. Unfortunately, they don’t have guides for my other destinations as they’re a fairly new series. They do, however, have one for Washington D.C., where I live, so I bought that. After reading both guides — Paris and D.C. — cover to cover, I got so excited about these guidebooks I called the publisher to see what other books they have in the works. Turns out, Paris, D.C., New York, and Rome are the only guides on shelves to date. But San Francisco and London are due out later this year (July and September respectively). And they hope to publish four a year from now on, with Boston and Disney World on their 2008 list. These books are a real find, and I’m glad I stumbled on them. I encourage you to check them out. –Lori Appling - The Travel Writer’s Life
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Fun little book
I really like this book as it is small enough to throw into my backpack and can be referenced throughout my trip. I have gone through and highlighted areas of interest and I love having the little pull out maps. Great stuff!
2 Stars Possibly one of the worst Disney resource books- ever
While the “Little Black Book of Walt Disney World” did include the info that you’ll find in most Disney guide books, it’s clear that Rona Gindin did little research on the subject before publishing. Firstly, she mentions several attractions and parades that no longer exist, then omitted one table service restaurant that has been open since November 2007 (the Yak and Yeti). It’s true that many of these attractions only closed in 2008, but Disney sites, as well as Disney fan sites, normally have closings posted for at least a year in advance, so it’s not as if their removals were a sudden surprise. Other 2008 guide books all had the updated info. On top of that, Gindin also gets the story-lines wrong for certain rides (i.e. Dinosaur), doesn’t know the names of the main characters from Cars, and calls Star Wars fans “trekkies.” (I’m well aware that this last point is pretty trite, but in my opinion, anyone who publishes a book on any subject should have all their information correct.) This book may suffice for people going to Disney for the first time, but that doesn’t change the fact that they will be armed with incorrect information. My advice- spend a few more dollars and buy the Passporter for Walt Disney World. You’ll never need another guide book again.
4 Stars The Disney Little Black Book
I like the fact, that it is very small and you can stick it in your purse. It’s got alot of information about all of the parks. I will definitely take this with me and tuck it away.
5 Stars An amazing littlebook and so easy to carry around!
We have made several trips to WDW and have often purchased tour books to assist our planning. This little book has an amazing amount of information. One nice thing is it’s size. It is so easy to acrry around with us.
5 Stars compact and complete!
We just got this - it looked like the best ‘insiders’ guide out there. Love it! Small enough to carry and arranged so you can zoom straight to what you’re looking for. We’re not WDW regulars and won’t spend a whole lot of time there so for us, this is ideal for planning and taking along on our trip.
The Penderwicks
April 7, 2009 by Family Vacations · Leave a Comment
Grade 4-6–In Jeanne Birdsall’s humorous novel (Knopf, 2005), four motherless sisters—Rosalind, 12, Skye, 11, Jane, 10, and Batty, 4—their absentminded professor dad, and the family dog share a summer retreat on the Massachusetts estate of Arundel. Owned by the frosty Mrs. Tifton and her lonely son, Jeffrey, Arundel’s pretentious mistress treats the oddly-matched Penderwick sisters and their doting father as social misfits. Feisty Skye and sensitive Jeffrey become best friends, drawing the reluctant Mrs. Tifton and the entire Penderwick clan into a series of hilarious misadventures, including runaway pets, an encounter with a bull, and a first crush. The sisters are determined to help Jeffrey escape being sent to the Pencey Military Academy, Where boys become men and men become soldiers. Susan Denaker’s gentle narration of this 2005 National Book Award winner perfectly captures the subtle humor and charm of each character. Fans of Sydney Taylor’s All-of-a-Kind Family or Maud Hart’s Betsy-Tacy novels will love this updated version of a comfortable childhood adventure. Just the ticket for an extended family car trip.–Celeste Steward, Alameda County Library, Fremont, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars A Big Hit
My little niece LOVES this book! I hesitated at first because it dealt with the death of a parent. But, surprise, surprise, she has read and is reading it again. I haven’t had the pleasure yet but I will. A perfect selection for an 8y/o bibliophile!
5 Stars A GREAT family story
Our whole family (with children ages 2 -12) LOVED this story! It is funny. It is sweet. It is true to the best and some of the oddities of human behavior and family life. I wish there were more “modern” wholesome family stories like this one!
5 Stars Wholesome and fun
My family loved this story. The characters are all strong and interesting. My 7 year old boy and 10 year old girl will want to listen to this many times. I can’t imagine NOT enjoying this book.
