When Lisa goes on a plane trip by herself for the first time, her flight from Paris to New York is extremely eventful. She sits next to a "blue lady" (she's wearing a blue dress) who ends up moving after Lisa squirms a bit too much. Before she can nap for very long on her newly empty stretch of seats, food arrives on a tray. And if that weren't thrilling enough, a movie (Cowboys Forever) comes on, and in the attempt to see over the seats (Lisa is a small dog), she knocks over her orange juice glass. This sets off a whole new chain of events, as "the airplane lady" gives her a bath in the bathroom sink and she gets a special tour of the cockpit (where the pilots tell the newly soaped dog she smells nice). By the time she gets back to her seat, she's in America, "all clean." Granted, this is a simple story. Its charm lies in Anne Gutman's funny, loving details and in Georg Hallensleben's ever irresistible paintings of small moments: the spattered orange paint as her juice goes everywhere, the very cute sink bath, etc. This is the perfect book for any youngster who's about to go on a plane ride, or anyone else, for that matter. Luckily for us, this, and its companion Gaspard on Vacation mark the start of what promises to be a delightful series. Highly recommended! (Ages 2 to 6) --Karin Snelson
From Publishers Weekly
These smaller-format picture books record the vacation misadventures of two diminutive stuffed dogs, who wear tasteful scarves and behave with unusual aplomb. They are the only stuffed dogs in sight; the rest of the players are human. Lisa flies from Paris to New York on a large airplane, where her excited wiggling prompts her seatmate to move, and her small stature makes watching the movie a problem. After she upsets the orange juice glass she has been standing on and gets a bath from a flight attendant, she tours the cockpit. "You smell very nice," the pilot tells her. "It was the soap," Lisa explains. In the other book, Gaspard, tired of endless museum tours in Venice, appropriates a little red kayak and evades capture until nightfall, when he is reunited with his parents. Lisa's is the better story Gutman pays more attention to the problems of being small in a world of large people, and Lisa is conjured with real charm but Gaspard's is more impressive visually. Hallensleben's rich, intelligent oil paintings render Venice's architectural marvels in shifting shades of turquoise, terra-cotta and gold. Smaller panels convey the fast action of Gaspard's trip through the canals and his collision with a gondola. Hallensleben's work for Lisa is no less engaging; he knows what it's like to be a child with a glassful of orange juice coming straight at you. Both are winsome flights of fancy. Ages 3-6. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
reS-A little dog is flying alone for the first time from Paris to meet her uncle in New York. The story highlights her adventures on the long plane ride-including fellow passengers (all people), airline meals, and movie watching. Young children will understand Lisa's squirming and subsequent accident with her orange juice. The bath on the plane will elicit giggles and the tour of the cockpit is an added plus. The colorful, acrylic artwork is attractive, and Lisa's endearing expressions are priceless. This could be a fun addition to storytime and also for one-on-one sharing. While not necessarily a first purchase, this flight of fancy is loaded with child appeal.Kay Bowes, Concord Pike Library, Wilmington, DECopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Reviewed with Anne Gutman's Gaspard on Vacation. Ages 3-6. A preschooler's exciting travel adventure is at the center of these two small, square books, originally published in France. The simple words and expressive, bright acrylic paintings tell the stories from the child's viewpoint in a way that's fresh and funny.Gaspard and his black rabbit family go on vacation to Venice, and he's thrilled. But guess what they do from morning to night? They visit "museums, museums, and more museums." He sneaks away, jumps in a real kayak, races through the canals, overturns a family in a gondola, is found by the police, and, in time-honored style, his parents are so happy to see him, they all celebrate together. Hallensleben's dramatic paintings of the Venice setting add splendor and beauty to the escapade that expresses every kid's fantasy when dragging along with adults.Lisa is a small white rabbit traveling alone on an airplane for the first time. Again, the child's viewpoint adds just the right detail to the story: the impatient adult passenger in the next seat; the exact particulars of what's on the food tray; the movie the child can't quite see. She spills her juice, but the kindly steward reassures her, cleans up, and takes Lisa into the dazzling cockpit with all its knobs and lights. After that high point, the book ends with the arrival in New York, where Lisa meets her uncle and calls her parents.Each book is a delight and celebrates the brave young voyager who discovers a huge world. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"The simple words and expressive, bright acrylic paintings tell the stories from the child's viewpoint in a way that's fresh and funny... Each book is a delight and celebrates the brave young voyager who discovers a huge world."
Review
"The simple words and expressive, bright acrylic paintings tell the stories from the child's viewpoint in a way that's fresh and funny... Each book is a delight and celebrates the brave young voyager who discovers a huge world."
Book Description
Lisa's Airplane Trip is one of two titles launching the Misadventures of Gaspard and Lisa series. Lisa experiences for the first time in her life what it is like to travel on an airplane when she flies by herself to meet her uncle in the United States. The meal, movie, and other passengers provide endless amusement for Lisa--until an unfortunate accident with her orange juice. Fortunately, a very nice flight attendant makes everything better with a quick wash in the bathroom, followed by a special trip to the cockpit.
Card catalog description
Lisa travels on an airplane by herself to visit her uncle in New York.
From the Inside Flap
Lisa's Airplane Trip is one of two titles launching the Misadventures of Gaspard and Lisa series. Lisa experiences for the first time in her life what it is like to travel on an airplane when she flies by herself to meet her uncle in the United States. The meal, movie, and other passengers provide endless amusement for Lisa--until an unfortunate accident with her orange juice. Fortunately, a very nice flight attendant makes everything better with a quick wash in the bathroom, followed by a special trip to the cockpit.
From the Back Cover
"The simple words and expressive, bright acrylic paintings tell the stories from the child's viewpoint in a way that's fresh and funny... Each book is a delight and celebrates the brave young voyager who discovers a huge world."
About the Author
This husband-and-wife team lives in Paris, France. Anne Gutman published her first book, How to Get Rid of Your Little Brother, in 1980. Georg Hallensleben is the illustrator of Baboon, Spider Spider, and And If the Moon Could Talk, winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, all written by Kate Banks. In 1999, he wrote and illustrated Pauline.
Lisa's Airplane Trip: Gaspard on Vacation
ANNOTATION
Lisa travels on an airplane by herself to visit her uncle in New York.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Along with Gaspard on Vacation, Lisa's Airplane Trip is one of two titles launching the Misadventures of Gaspard and Lisa series. Lisa experiences for the first time in her life what it is like to travel on an airplane when she flies by herself to meet her uncle in the United States. The meal, movie, and other passengers provide endless amusement for Lisa -- until an unfortunate accident with her orange juice. Fortunately, a very nice flight attendant makes everything better with a quick wash in the bathroom, followed by a special trip to the cockpit.
FROM THE CRITICS
Karen Carden - The Christian Science Monitor
Originally published in France, Lisa's Airplane Trip arrived stateside this month. C'est magnifique! It's the start of a new series about two fuzzy doglike critters, Lisa and Gaspard. In this delightful volume, Lisa tells about her first airplane ride - the seats, the food, and the in-flight entertainment. Illustrator Georg Hallensleben's art is bold and bright enough to engage kids while sophisticated and painterly enough to please adults. Anne Gutman's text is also equal to the task of amusing both child and parent. For example, after Lisa has a bit of a mishap, "the airplane lady" washes her clean and gives her a tour of the cockpit. When one of the pilots comments that Lisa smells nice, she wryly observes: "It was the soap."
The book's overall design is pleasing: It's a slim square of springtime green with little Lisa (safely buckled into her airplane seat) staring unblinkingly from the cover. Colorful endpapers teem with airplanes and airport activity. And the back displays six small pictures, which serve as a traveler's photo album and as a reader's introduction. A winner? Mais oui!
Publishers Weekly
These smaller-format picture books record the vacation misadventures of two diminutive stuffed dogs, who wear tasteful scarves and behave with unusual aplomb. They are the only stuffed dogs in sight; the rest of the players are human. Lisa flies from Paris to New York on a large airplane, where her excited wiggling prompts her seatmate to move, and her small stature makes watching the movie a problem. After she upsets the orange juice glass she has been standing on and gets a bath from a flight attendant, she tours the cockpit. "You smell very nice," the pilot tells her. "It was the soap," Lisa explains. In the other book, Gaspard, tired of endless museum tours in Venice, appropriates a little red kayak and evades capture until nightfall, when he is reunited with his parents. Lisa's is the better story Gutman pays more attention to the problems of being small in a world of large people, and Lisa is conjured with real charm but Gaspard's is more impressive visually. Hallensleben's rich, intelligent oil paintings render Venice's architectural marvels in shifting shades of turquoise, terra-cotta and gold. Smaller panels convey the fast action of Gaspard's trip through the canals and his collision with a gondola. Hallensleben's work for Lisa is no less engaging; he knows what it's like to be a child with a glassful of orange juice coming straight at you. Both are winsome flights of fancy. Ages 3-6. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
Young children traveling for the first time will enjoy the experiences of Lisa, a little dog who takes her first plane trip from Paris to New York. She wiggles so much that the woman sitting next to her moves; she has trouble seeing over her seat to watch the movie; she falls backwards and spills her juice. The "airplane lady" comes to her rescue, helps her clean up and takes her to visit the pilots in the cockpit. Lisa feels much better, and now they are almost ready to land. The simple text is accompanied by brightly colored paintings that show what children can expect to see and do inside an airplane. Even the food one can expect to be served is illustrated and labeled. A useful book to help prepare young children before taking their first airplane trip, and a nice book to take along on the ride. 2001 (orig. 1999), Alfred A. Knopf, $9.95. Ages 3 to 5. Reviewer: Cheryl Peterson
Child Magazine
A Child Magazine Best Book of 2001 Pick
Part of the Misadventures of Gaspard and Lisa series, this winning tale of a self-assured dog's eventful flight from her home in Paris to New York City will delight parents and children alike. The text's understated wit plays straight man to the broader humor of the vibrant illustrations, which depict the airborne antics of effervescent Lisa with panache.
Kirkus Reviews
Lisa's first solo airplane flight is a long one—Paris to New York. It's anything but boring, though: a short nap, then a big tray of food, then a movie, then, because seeing the movie screen means perching precariously on a glassful of juice to peer over the seat in front, she gets a tour of the restroom for a wash in the sink. Finally, she gets a rare treat: a welcome into the cockpit to meet the pilots who compliment her on her nice smell—the soap. Hallensleben (Baboon, 1997, etc) depicts his intrepid traveler as a tiny puppy, sort of a stuffed lap toy with facial expressions. The soothing color scheme, richly laid down in a child-like style, plus Lisa's chirpy, bright-eyed interest in everything, make this companion to Gaspard on Vacation (see above) a first-class anxiety dispeller for children facing their own inaugural flights. Legible hand-lettered text. (Picture book. 4-6)
Art & Photography
Book Info
