THE LOVELY CAR

In Graham’s picture book, a teacher is the Goldilocks of transportation.

Every day, Mrs. Graham rides her bike to school—that is, until she crashes into a massive pothole outside the gates. The bike is irreparably damaged, so she tries a new way of getting to school the next morning. “Today is Tuesday and I’m going to go to school on the bus.” For the rest of the week, Mrs. Graham’s Siamese cat, Sugei, watches from the window at home as the beleaguered teacher attempts a new mode of transportation, only to be let down. Her last resort is to purchase a car. Her dream car is a small pink sedan but as she visits different showrooms throughout the next week, she once again encounters problems at each one. Evil Eddie’s cars are too big, and Foxy Freddie’s are too small. Some are too fast, too long, or just plain uncomfortable. Finally, Mrs. Graham is able to buy her ideal car from Handsome Harry and drive to school in style. Author Graham’s debut picture book is a modern twist on the Goldilocks story that preschoolers may find funny because of its continuous obstacles. While the story itself is somewhat monotonous, it’s useful for teaching the days of the week and types of transportation. Graham’s illustrations are plain but expressive, though the style isn’t always consistent between foreground details like Mrs. Graham herself and the more unfinished-looking students and buildings that appear in the background.

An unremarkable but potentially practical book.