"Aw, Mom, can't I stay in the car and read?"

I know this may be a quaint concept in the age of Ipods, cell phones, and in-car DVD players, but if you're looking for a book -- yes, a book -- to help your kids make it through those vacation car (or plane) trips, Accent on Books has a whole table full of possibilities in our children's section. Here are but a few highlights (keep in mind that age ranges are always just approximate).

I Don't Care If We're Not There Yet, by Joanne O'Sullivan (ages 8-12). A bold title indeed, but this paperback from Asheville publisher Lark Books just might live up to it. About 250 pages of puzzles, drawing activities, word games, you name it.

Where's Waldo: The Ultimate Travel Collection, by Martin Handford (ages 5 and up). You may already be familiar with Waldo, the world traveler who loves to lose himself in impossibly crowded scenes and then challenge you to find him. Here in compact form are dozens of such scenes from five earlier full-sized Waldo books. Lots of fun for people of all ages with good eyes.

My Giant Sticker Vacation Activity Book, from Priddy Books (ages 3-7). This one is for younger readers, and perhaps works best if there is an adult or older child willing to help out. Some of the activities are specially designed to improve reading and math skills. In addition to the book, there is a CD with additional pictures and puzzles.

52 Travel Activity Kit, by Lynn Gordon (ages 5-12). A package that includes a paperbound book, along with markers, a ruler and a score pad. This title is especially geared towards creativity, with a lot of prompts encouraging children to write and draw things from scratch.

Best of Mad Libs, by Roger Price and Leonard Stern (ages 8 and up). In honor of the fiftieth (!) anniversary of this addictively silly word game, here is a giant pad with 125 classic Mad Libs stories. Just the thing to bring out the giggling 10-year-old in anyone.

Travel Games: Fun and Games on the Go, from Scholastic Books (ages 6 and up). This compact package has playing boards for checkers and similar games, magnetic playing pieces, and a paperback book with rules for various classic board games, card games, and word games (playing cards and scorepads not included).