A boy learns to appreciate the good things in his life, in Rick Randall’s humorous picture book The Adventures of Rick and Jack.

Jack doesn’t like school, showering, eating breakfast, brushing his teeth, or his mom’s hugs. At a chiropractor appointment that day, he tells Dr. Rick he hates school, and Dr. Rick suggests they go to Hawaii and become beach bums. That night, Jack wakes up and, not sure if he’s dreaming, sees Dr. Rick in a car, waiting outside.

Jack and Dr. Rick head to Hawaii, where they live the beach bum life, eating from dumpsters and sleeping outside. Soon, what initially seemed fun becomes less appealing, and Jack longs for the comforts and people he left behind. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, he makes a wish to return home. When he wakes up in his bed, he’s uncertain if what happened was real but newly appreciative of everything he had taken for granted.

This is a cute story overall, one that conveys its message without being preachy or predictable. For example, it’s a nice touch when Jack realizes that some of the interesting facts he knows about ants and geography were learned in school, making him think that maybe school isn’t all bad. Additionally, Jack is an intelligent, relatable protagonist throughout, and the art is colorful, dynamic and mostly aids clear and propulsive storytelling.

However, it seems strange that Jack, a young boy, sees a chiropractor, an element that isn’t explained further and is perhaps due solely to the author being a retired chiropractor, as mentioned on the “About the Author” page. Many children won’t understand what a chiropractor is. Also, a few minor technical errors, like the over-hyphenated line “No more early-morning-wake-up-calls” appear.

Nonetheless, The Adventures of Rick and Jack is an entertaining and effective book that will make kids pause and give thanks for what they have—or at least complain a little less.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.