Are We There Yet? The First Road Trip Across the USA

Driving across the U.S. may be doable now, but in 1903, horseless carriages traveled slowly and lacked roofs, seat belts, and windshields. And neither cross-country maps nor reliable infrastructure yet existed (“Cities and towns had streets, but highways? Nope!”). So when Horatio Nelson Jackson (1872–1955) accepts a wager of $50 to drive to Vermont from San Francisco in less than three months, the journey takes on epic dimensions. McAnulty (the Our Universe series) follows with verve the progress of Jackson, bicycle racer and mechanic Sewall Crocker (1883–1913), and dog Bud as they journey east in a Winton touring car they call “Vermont.” Jackson doesn’t initially know how to drive, the vehicle bounces so roughly that supplies are lost overboard, and better-prepared competitors try to steal their thunder. But Jackson, who has “money and... a stubborn, nothing-will-stop-me spirit,” remains undaunted. Comical, digitally drafted artwork by Baddeley (Splash!) supplies period details, extensive landscapes, and plenty of exaggerated action—pelting rain, flying objects, clouds of dust, and cheering fans. Even inventions have awkward early years, the creators reveal in this can-do telling. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Lori Kilkelly, LK Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Alexandra Penfold, Upstart Crow Literary. (Mar.)