Arches and Canyonlands National Parks – In the Land of Standing Rocks

Mike Graf's In the Land of Standing Rocks takes 8 year olds on a family trip around Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in Utah.

What happens

The Parkers are twins Morgan and James and their mum and dad. They drive into the desert near Moab, pitch their tents and set off to see as many arches as they possibly can.

It's part story, part guidebook. The family hike real trails to real places, like Mesa Arch, Balanced Rock and Delicate Arch at sunset. Along the way there are little boxes of facts (how an arch forms, and what ancient granaries were doing tucked into the cliffs).

Small things happen, just like on a real holiday. A film crew stops the road to shoot a car advert. A teenager gets stuck above Turret Arch and a ranger talks him down. A thunderstorm catches the family out on bare rock. And a rattlesnake turns up in the middle of a game of hide and seek!

James is writing a story as they go, about the explorer John Wesley Powell, who had only one arm. He even tries writing it with his left hand. Morgan keeps a diary and takes loads of photos.

It's a gentle, curious sort of book. Mum sketches. Dad reads. Everyone makes jokes about the Moab Facial, which is what the ranger calls wind full of sand.

There's one slightly grisly moment, when the family find what's left of a rabbit after a coyote chase. It's quick, and Mum says they don't want the details.

If you've got a reader who asks a hundred questions on every walk, this is super. It'd be a great one before a trip to the American Southwest too. Have you ever wondered how a hole ends up in the middle of a rock?

What to read next

For another holiday in a famous canyon, try Grand Canyon Grab. Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose are staying right on the rim of the Grand Canyon, with a hot-air balloon ride and a mule trek to the bottom on the plan.