A Guide to the Best of Southern California : FOR KIDS : Saving the Car Trip

DO YOU RECALL,as a kid in the back seat, how mom suddenly developed the longest arm reach known to motherhood? For those of us with fond but squirmy memories of family outings who now have children of our own, “Southern California for Kids” ($12.95) becomes the sort of book we wish our parents had owned.

Pick any spot in the Southland--say, next door to Oceanside, in Vista--and authors Kay and Tom Sanger have found someplace there that children would enjoy visiting (in this case, the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum on Route S14).

“Southern California for Kids” (Clarkson N. Potter, Inc.) is available in most bookstores.