Are We There Yet?

By: Dan Santat

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat--creator of The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend and After the Fall--takes readers on the road trip of a lifetime!

"Are we there yet?" Every parent has heard this classic kid question on a long car ride--and after reading this astonishingly inventive new book (that even turns upside down for several pages!), you'll never look at being bored the same way again.

Let's face it: everyone knows that car rides can be boring. And when things get boring, time slows down. In this book, a boy feels time slowing down so much that it starts going backward--into the time of pirates! Of princesses! Of dinosaurs! The boy was just trying to get to his grandmother's birthday party, but instead he's traveling through Ancient Egypt and rubbing shoulders with Ben Franklin. When time flies, who knows where--or when--he'll end up.

Critic reviews

Praise for Are We There Yet?
A 2018-2019 Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee

*"The energy of his riotous story...gives it a laser focus. It's a remarkable feat-a turbocharged adventure that's also a meditation on the relative nature of time."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

*"Employing both comic-book-style panels and full-bleed spreads, the mixed-media illustrations are full of humor, and the changes in point of view keep the telling dynamic and engaging....A multilayered, modern-day parable reminding readers there's no greater gift than the present."—Kirkus, starred review

*"Following his Caldecott win for The Adventures of Beekle (2014), Santat offers an imaginative account of a boy's car trip to his grandmother's birthday party.... The inventive format and engrossing artwork will make kids happy to go along for the ride."—Booklist, starred review

"This imaginative take on the never-ending car ride is filled with surprises.... Filled with excitement and humorous details.... Full-spreads, giant comic panels, and alarmed expressions add to the fun."—School Library Journal

"How do you follow up a Caldecott Medal win? If you're Dan Santat (The Adventures of Beekle), you turn the picture book form on its head...Visual clues...add depth and humor."—Horn Book

"Santat digs deep into his stockpile of illustrative tricks to manipulate time and space through clever page turns, comics style sequential frames, background fade outs, and a wealth of loony details to keep viewers scouring the scenes for giggle-worthy details."—BCCB

"Santat paints like the caffeinated love child of Delacroix and MacGyver....a mind-boggling clever idea."—The New York Times

"Ambitious and inventive."
—USA Today

Great story. Visually dependent.

This is a great story, and I love Dan Santat's work. I will say, that his books are so great because he has a true talent for visual storytelling. Unfortunately, that didn't translate into an audio book as well as I had hoped. My two cents: buy the book in, you know, book format. I did and it is a big hit at our house.