Jackson and Bud’s Bumpy Ride: America’s First Cross-Country Automobile Trip by Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff
Love this story!
In 1903, Dr. Horatio Jackson made a bet that he could drive all the way across the United States in a horseless buggy in less than three months. Jackson hires a mechanic to go along on the ride with him and they set off.
Remember what things were like then? No paved roads. No maps. No gas stations. Maximum speed of 30 mph. Not even a windshield to keep the bugs out of your mouth.
The author chooses to zoom in on the events of several days during the sixty-three day trip. The pictures and the text are hilarious. Here’s a sample:
'May 23 – San Francisco, California
“Good-bye! Good luck! Be careful!” shouts Jackson’s wife, Bertha, who will be returning to Vermont by train.
“Don’t worry, my dear,” Jackson pats the car. “This trusty machine will get us there with no troubles at all!” (Picture shows the two men setting off in the tiny car.)
(Turn the page and we see the two men standing next to the car. The wheel is off and the mechanic, Crocker, looks a little bewildered.) About fifteen miles later…Bump, bump, bump, Ka-plooey!
The pictures are a definite plus here. Love this book!
Comments from children:
“I really liked the pictures.”
“I liked how the dog followed them.”
5, 5,5, 5, 5, 5,5,5,5,5,1,0
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