Grover (Circles and Squares Everywhere!, 1996, etc.) mines wordplay with plenty of energy and color, but the sequence of events, concepts, and images are forced and clanky. Max the taxi driver takes his fares to various locales: an airport all socked in with socks; a fork in the road where Max must drive around the silverware; a tooth ferry for a little girl heading for an island dentist. The attempts at zaniness range from strained``I need a break. I'd better stop for lunch and musical chairs''to clever, as when a family asks Max's advice on something fun to do. ``Why not go bowling?'' suggests Max, taking them to a bowl store for an afternoon of browsing. Grover's intense palette and artwork have instant appeal, but the vibrant colors are doing all the work and can't compensate for the stodgy text. (Picture book. 7+)
