BACKSEAT BUCKAROO

A young child on a car trip out West makes up a fantastic story based on eccentric examples of American roadside architecture observed out of the backseat window. Valfre's b&w surrealistic photographs of teepees, dinosaurs, and gypsy fortune tellers have an edgy, somber look that suggests there is more here than meets the eye. The droll storyline juxtaposed with the pictures requires some imagination on the parts of readers; those willing to let their fancy roam will be rewarded by a story that can be extended into a whole atlas of other journeys. The design and manufacture of this quietly handsome book are full of loving details—from the endpapers to the bucking bronco motif that appears there and is repeated on the text pages, and the faint, stippled texture that mattes the photographs and echoes the binding material. Valfre's first book is well worth the trip, and a real find for children on the way to their own backseat adventures. (Picture book. 5+)