It started with the ducklings. When Milwaukee librarian Susan Knorr learned that bronze statues of ducklings would be placed in the Boston Public Gardens, her first thought was: What a splendid way for readers of - Make Way for Ducklings to connect with the setting of Robert McCloskey's children's classic.

It also made her wonder about the links between other children's books and real-life settings. How many readers of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, for instance, knew about the Little House wayside in the western Wisconsin river town of Pepin? Or how many realized that in Downsville, near Eau Claire, there's a Caddie Woodlawn Memorial Park? Visitors can tour the pioneer home of the real-life heroine immortalized in Carol Ryrie Brink's award-winning book.

As a children's librarian at the Milwaukee Public Library System, Knorr, knew that families often searched for books about potential vacation sites. And she frequently came across books that would make traveling more interesting and educational for children.

But how to reach the greatest number of these families? The best way, she decided, was through her own book.

Well, if she was going to undertake the monumental task of pairing children's books with travel destinations, she needed a writing partner. It didn't take long to make the choice: her mother, Margaret Knorr. She knew a lot about traveling, since their family vacations always included stops at historical attractions and markers, and she was well-versed on children's books, too. Before retirement, Margaret, had worked in the Milwaukee Public Library System and at an elementary-school reading center.

At first, the Knorrs planned to write only about the Milwaukee area, but they soon expanded their scope to the entire US after discovering the sheer number of children's books and destinations that paired up so well. Researching and writing the book took the mother-daughter team almost six years. The result, Books on the Move: A Read-About-It, Go-There Guide to America's Best Family Destinations, has been published by Free Spirit Publishing, Minneapolis, and is available in bookstores and libraries. It spotlights more than 800 sites and 1,100 children's books.

By — Maureen McLaughlin (from The Milwaukee Journal, January 9, 1994)