Title: Family Trip to Magical Madagascar and Beyond
Author: Nicki Geigert
Publisher: Readers Magnet
ISBN: 978-1-950947-75-1
Genre: Travel
Pages: 68
Reviewed by: Ella Vincent

Read Book Review

Family Trip to Magical Madagascar and Beyond is an enchanting travelogue by Nicki Geigert. Her book showcases her family’s vacation to the eastern African island nation. This book will be enlightening to many readers and show Madagascar is more than just a cartoon.

Family Trip details the trip Geigert and her family took to Madagascar. She writes about the numerous places she visited during her visit, including visiting the King’s Palace and Imperial Gardens. Geigert also writes about visiting the many forests and national parks in the nation as well. She also writes about the friendly native Malagasy people who welcomed her to the island.

Geigert writes eloquently about the Malagasy people and how they often work and live communally in the nation’s small towns.  Family Trip also details the nation’s street marketplaces in which many women sell their goods.  In a pleasant contrast to other travelogues, Geigert writes about the Malagasy people as a diverse group of people and doesn’t just stereotype them as a monolith. The book even helpfully has a list of the different tribes of Malagasy people that shows the diversity of Madagascar’s citizens.

Family Trip also notes the many different beautiful animals of Madagascar.  Geigert writes about the lemurs, frogs, baboons, elephants, and many other animals that inhabit the island. She writes lovingly about how she safely interacted with the creatures thanks to the animal handlers.

Family Trip presents such a thorough picture of Madagascar.  The itinerary at the beginning of the book shows the Geigert family’s commitment to exploring the whole country. The pictures throughout the travelogue add such depth to the book. The dichotomy of the photographs of the majestic landmarks Geigert visited and the modest homes of Malagasy people show the vast diversity of Madagascar.

The numerous pictures of the animals on the island also demonstrate the beauty of the country. The family photos show the familiarity and love the Geigert family share on their African adventure. The detailed information on Madagascar also adds enlightening information to the text.

Family Trip to Magical Madagascar and Beyond would be great for readers who want to learn more about Madagascar and other little-known African countries.  Readers who want to read more about different kinds of animals around the world will find this book useful as well. Family Trip to Magical Madagascar and Beyond is a book that will transport readers to a stunningly beautiful land.