The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly: Costa Rica takes readers on a journey with a spunky child-millipede named Lilly, her wig-wearing Grandma, and flatulence-prone Grandpa. The lengthy (64 pages) hardcover picture book also comes with a 30-minute CD that includes the entire text of the story with an original score and sound effects.

Lilly and her family live in the Miami International Airport. When Grandma Nellie tires of the familiar surroundings of the airport the entire millipede family, including a reluctant Grandpa Willie, heads out on an educational adventure to the rainforests of Costa Rica. There they encounter glimpses of Costa Rican culture and discover both friends and enemies amongst the native insect population.

Despite encountering and escaping from a spider named Ruth Less with less than noble intentions, the family still manages to do some sight-seeing before returning to Miami. Lilly is a book lover and talented musician, and her natural proclivities help her family to overcome difficulties and fears on their journey.

There is some confusion during the first portion of the book, leaving readers uncertain as to exactly when the decision to travel to Costa Rica was made. I was unable to tell if someone had made the decision to plan for a Costa Rican trip, or if this was indeed a random departure as Grandma Nellie had indicated she would be interested in. If the departure was random, Lilly was surprisingly well prepared. Thankfully, we can put these concerns aside once the traveling millipedes reach their destination and begin learning about the flora, fauna, geography and culture of this country. Glade’s aim is to educate and entertain simultaneously.

Author and self-taught illustrator Debbie Glade uses bright, saturated watercolours to bring the Costa Rican landscape to life. Her bold and clearly defined illustration reach children on their own level, and is reminiscent of children’s artwork. Glade’s work is charming, though there are some seemingly inadvertent perspective issues – particularly with human figures; their hands seem far too tiny in comparison with the rest of their bodies, particularly the feet. Glade’s illustrations successfully engage children in the story, but do leave room for improvement.

The CD that accompanies the book brings the quirky characters and Costa Rican landscape to vivid life. The day we received this title my five-year-old pre-reader listened to the CD and ‘read’ along with the book no less than five times. We have been treated to Lilly’s squeaky voice countless times since then. Glade has produced a winner according to my children.