Work Wafts Small Fry Into Travel Mode

If you’re a parent who has ever been faced with bored children on a long car trip or you want something for the youngsters to do once you get to your hotel room, Nancy Ann Van Wie of Laguna Beach has a creative solution.

It’s called “Travels with Max!--San Diego to San Francisco” (Max’s Publications; $5.95), the first in a series of travel and entertainment books for young children, ages 4 to 10.

Designed to introduce children to the areas they will be visiting, the 48-page book is filled with “pictures to color, puzzles to solve and silly riddles to laugh at.”

The first “Travels with Max!” book--Max is a sophisticated cartoon koala--highlights child-oriented attractions throughout five California counties: San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Francisco.

For the segment on San Francisco, for example, young readers learn that the city’s first cable car was installed in 1873 and they can do a connect-the-dots of a kangaroo while learning facts about the San Francisco Zoo.

There’s also a travel diary at the end of each chapter so they can draw and record their memories of the trip, and a Parents Guide in the back of the book includes specific information on the various attractions in each county, child-care services and convention and visitors bureau information.

Van Wie, who has a master’s degree in education, is the founder and former president of Sitters Unlimited, the nation’s first and largest child-care sitting franchise.

It was while dealing with a large number of families traveling around the United States that she discovered that many parents didn’t bring along anything for their children to do while they were traveling, such as coloring books.

As a result, Van Wie began giving out a 12-page children’s activity book she created as a complimentary gift.

“It was a huge success,” she said. “Lots of parents would call up and say, ‘We went to Boston and the book was just a lifesaver; it kept the child occupied on the plane or grandma’s house.’ ”

Van Wie also created and produced “The United Airlines Fun Book: J.P. Jetsetter, King of the Friendly Skies.”

“The feedback was wonderful,” she said. “So I knew there was obviously a need.”

In questioning Sitters Unlimited clients before creating her book, Van Wie discovered that parents wanted something informative about a trip, something to keep the child occupied and something that was fun. They also wanted something that would serve as a souvenir of the trip.

Before taking a family vacation, Van Wie said, “I think it’s really important that children have a part in the planning and decision making of the trip.”

So it’s important, she said, for parents to read “Travels with Max!” to their children before the trip and explain where they’re going and what they’ll be seeing. Afterward, parents can go over the diary portion of the book.

“It can be a very fun and educational experience for the entire family,” she said.

Van Wie, who sold Sitters Unlimited earlier this year, said she spent two years doing research for the debut “Travels with Max!” book. She chose California as her first subject, she said, “because so many people travel here from all over the world.”

Anaheim artist Kari Moe illustrated the book.

The next installment of “Travels with Max!” will be on Hawaii and is due out in October. A book dealing with Florida will be out around February.

“Travels with Max!--San Diego to San Francisco” is available at Crown Books, B. Dalton Bookseller and Waldenbooks.