Postcards from Mr. Pish follows the lovable Jack Russell Terrier, Mr. Pish, as he travels with his human family from the Atlantic Coast all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Taking an ambling, scenic route which delivers him to a variety of places across the United States and Canada, he share his adventures in postcards and pictures from every state and province he visits. 

Promoting Outdoor Learning and Literacy to Kids

Mr. Pish is a great travel book for kids, especially if you’re planning a road trip to any of the myriad places the terrier and his family visit in the book. The postcards are engaging, and the pooch really is lovable. Even if you’re not traveling to any of the specific places in the book, it’s a good way to get the kids interested in car travel and the great outdoors.

And the best part is that they will love the pictures and learn a thing or two about all the wonderful places Pish goes to.

My kids thought Mr. Pish was adorable, and they learned about some new places they’d like to visit. From quaint, historic fishing villages to bright city lights to the tops of mountains and beyond, Mr. Pish shares his experiences in a fun way so children can learn about travel, the outdoors and history without realizing they’re actually learning a thing or two.

Mr. Pish Hits the Road

Starting out in Maryland, Mr. Pish and his family travel north, up the eastern seaboard across, New England and up into Canada before actually heading across the states. When you see the map in the book, it’s hard to imagine taking this route, unless you were really blessed with a lot of time, and so I found myself very jealous of the little Jack Russell…

He travels from Maryland to New Jersey and into New York City, where he takes in Radio City and Times Square. Then he travels all over New England, up through Maine and into Canada.

“A bald Eagle flew down to the ocean to catch a fish right in front of me,” writes Pish. “Then we went down to the Easternmost Point in the US called Quoddy Head. There is a cool lighthouse there. It is so far East that you see Canada across the water.”

Mr. Pish and family drive through New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario, sharing pictures and interesting facts about the land, the people and Canadian history along the way. “We visited a small island with a huge red moss peat bog,” wrote Pish about New Brunswick.  “A peat bog is special place where the water and the plants turn into very rich dirt. Special birds and animals live there.”

Back in the US, Mr. Pish travels across the middle of our country from New York through Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, as he heads West. From there, they travel through Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. Throughout the reader is treated to changing landscapes, local peoples and interesting tidbits of history – not to mention pictures.

Finally, the Pish road trip moves through Idaho and then on to the final stop of Washington state. “I saw Mt. Rainier – it is s big that it has glaciers at the top and a rainforest at the bottom! There were waterfalls and bright foliage everywhere.”

Mr. Pish is Almost Perfect

We recommend Mr. Pish for your kids. It’s great before and during any long outdoor adventure that involves travel, especially a road trip. Your kids will really like the book, and they’ll even learn a thing or two. We’d say it’s best for kids 10 and under.

Looking back, Mr. Pish could have had less stops on his journey and larger pictures, with captions describing what we were looking at. As it is, the pictures are a tad small, and sometimes it’s hard to figure out exactly what they are.

My kids are exceptional readers, but they got a little lost in the book. I think they would have like it to be more concise, with larger, high resolution images. With that said, they did like the pictures that were included and specifically said so without prompting.

You can find Mr. Pish here: http://www.mrpish.com/index.htm?gettingoutside

About Mr. Pish Author K. S. Brooks’

GettingOutside.com member, K. S. Brooks’ love for nature and story-telling are nothing new.  Her creative writing and environmental responsibility date back to childhood.  Brooks' interest was such that by the age of two, she could identify 200 birds in an encyclopedia of birds.

Brooks’ passion for nature is apparent throughout her writing and photography.  Parts of her award-winning novel, “Lust for Danger” use the Amazon rain forest as a back drop.  Her photographic work featuring whales, birds and other wildlife can be found in books, magazines, newspapers, galleries and websites.

“The lessons my parents taught me when I was very young served to shape my life.  I hope, that through children’s books I can give parents some of the tools they need to help their children learn about the world around us,” said K.S. Brooks. “Seeing children and young adults respond to knowledge – watching that light go off in their heads – that’s what it’s all about.  Learning should be fun.”