The Kid’s Guide to Denver, Boulder
& Colorado’s Ski Country
By Eileen Ogintz
Globe Pequot Press; December 2014
168 pages; ISBN 9781493016938
Reviewed by Ericka Kastner
Leading family travel expert Eileen Ogintz has once again written a guidebook geared toward kids, only this time she’s guiding them through Colorado, or so she claims.
Colorful and visually appealing, the at-a-glance organization of material in the book, The Kid’s Guide to Denver, Boulder & Colorado’s Ski Country, seems to be just what parents need when planning a Colorado family vacation.
Features of the book I liked included the sections entitled “What’s in Your Backpack?” offering suggestions to kids for filling their daypack, and the journaling pages at the end, providing space for reflection.
But upon closer examination, Ogintz’s guide is really a Summit County and Front Range book. The reference to Colorado’s Ski Country in the title made me think I’d be learning some tips about visiting lesser-known ski areas throughout the state. Instead she mostly covered fairly well known hot spots in Denver and Boulder (as indicated by the title) and ski areas just beyond the Front Range, into Summit County and near Steamboat Springs. There was little to no mention of the central or southwestern parts of the state.
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I also shared the book with three children, aged 12, 13 and 14, all adventurous, curious kids. They said the language and pictures would appeal to 6 to 9-year-olds, but the book was clearly written for children to read it, making the vocabulary and large amounts of written content more appropriate for 10 to 14-year-olds. The dichotomy in writing style created reservation among them as to whether the book would actually sell to kids.
Additionally, as the youngest in the group pointed out, if someone wants to know what to do with kids in Colorado, grown-ups as well as kids, will probably pick up their iPhone and “Google it.”
The author’s bio at the end of the book indicates that she’s a renowned, nationally known expert on traveling with kids. This is evident in the thoroughness of her writing, as she covers everything from fun adventures to little known facts and safety tips. However, I speculate that families, and especially youngsters, are more likely to visit her website or read her column in a magazine than to be seen toting her book around during a family vacation.
Will this kids travel guidebook be popular with kids planning a vacation to Colorado? I doubt it. It’s foreseeable that even if parents pick up a copy of Ogintz’s book, they’ll still be left packing the backpack and planning the itinerary.
