top of page

That's Good! That's Bad!

In Washington, DC

Henry Holt/Macmillan
Ill. by Michael Garland

That's Good! That's Bad! In Washington, DC

During a class trip to Washington, DC, a young boy has a series of mishaps, with both good and bad results, as he and his friends visit the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Zoo, and other landmarks.

Reviews

Cuyler’s third ‘Good/Bad’ title involves a field trip to the nation’s capital. The young protagonist has trouble from the moment he boards the DC Duck bus, through his whirlwind tour of monuments and the zoo, to his final splash into the Tidal Basin... The sound effects and refrain allow plenty of opportunities for audience participation. – School Library Journal 

 

The satisfying counterpoint fun of “That’s good! That’s bad!” from previous books continues in this story of a boy’s class trip to our nation’s capital. As they ride past the White House, our hero falls out of the DC Duck onto a motorcycle. Not bad, as he rides to the zoo. Not good, as the orangutans there toss him onto a dump truck. And so he goes from bad to good to bad again as he tours DC, past the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Arlington National Cemetery and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Jefferson Memorial in cherry blossom time, and finally back on the bus home. Garland creates a bunch of cartoon-like kids, all pop-eyed and smiling, with a special “little boy” whose misadventures keep us smiling. There is a slickness and roundness to the digitally created illustrations, but the double-page sweep of the cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin is particularly appealing. A map traces the day’s adventures for those interested in the sightseeing. – Children’s Literature

bottom of page