O’Garden takes readers for a rhythmic ride through the car wash in this playful outing. “What do we get for driving far?” she begins. “A crusty, dusty, dirty car.” Jabar’s (The Sundae Scoop, p. 1700, etc.) opening spread depicts a harried father behind the wheel of an outlandishly long, red automobile. Overhead, sea gulls fly low; two children sit in the back seat, one holds an ice cream sundae out the window. “How are we going to get it clean? / The bathtub? / Or the washing machine?” Without missing a beat, the family heads to the titular car wash for an onomatopoeic scrub-down. Alive with springtime tones and textured brush strokes, Jabar’s vibrant illustration depicts a car wash shaped like a giant, sunglass-wearing face; patrons enter through its open mouth. Inside, a hipster employee with two earrings and a goatee flashes a peace sign. The wash begins (“We hear a funny whumping sound / as floods of suds come foaming down / at the lathery-blathery, / scrubbly-bubbly CAR WASH”), bathing readers in sensational sounds. “Steamy sprays beyond the brushes / rinse us down in luscious rushes / at the drippity-droppity, bottom to toppity, / lathery-blathery, scrubbly-bubbly CAR WASH!” O’Garden offers a spot-on soundscape. While not as imaginative as Car Wash (2001), by Sandra and Susan Steen and Brian Karas, this will definitely appeal to the same audience. Whether they’ve been through an automated car wash or not, children will happily go along for the ride. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-694-00871-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2002
A friendship story for the young and vicious.
The ultimate showdown gets waylaid by an inconvenient friendship.
What could be cooler than a fire truck going head-to-head with a dragon? From the title, fans of Barton’s Shark vs. Train (illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld, 2010) will be prepped for some major fire-and-water action. The three child protagonists certainly anticipate a humdinger of a battle, but unfortunately, antipathy is not on the menu. Turns out, Fire Truck and Dragon are the best of buds. Worse, they won’t even take advantage of their natural gifts. A campout sees them making shadow puppets with flashlights. A barbecue is just a chance for them to show off their “free-range potato salad” and “firehouse beans.” And don’t even bother inviting them to your birthday party, unless you just want them spinning you around before you try for the piñata. When at last the two do face off, what occurs? A staring contest. But readers shouldn’t give up hope. They haven’t seen how they say good night. Barton deftly upsets expectations, both for those familiar with his previous book and newcomers who know what “versus” means. Laughs come equally from the disappointed children in the book as well as readers’ thwarted guesses as to what is going to happen. And McCloskey’s daffy cartoons make a perfect complement to Barton’s high-wired hilarity.
A friendship story for the young and vicious. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-316-52213-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
Automation and natural environments come to a sweet accord in this gentle paean to taking time out.
The latest in Kuefler’s Digger series deftly melds mechanized wonder with a tender appreciation of the natural world.
In an open clearing in the woods, Digger and his construction crew are hard at work when he accidentally uncovers a caterpillar. Though everyone is entranced by it, the work waits for no one. However, the caterpillar has other plans. It immediately climbs up Digger and forms a chrysalis. Digger is now stuck in place, but in waiting for the caterpillar to emerge, he is able to appreciate the river, trees, sun, and wind in ways he couldn’t before. And when the butterfly emerges at last, it leads Digger and his friends to a place filled with other butterflies where they can relax together without feeling the need to work. Helpful backmatter spells out each stage of a caterpillar’s life. The construction-equipment characters may seem at odds with the woodsy setting (given the implication of the destruction of the natural world), but the story expertly avoids the conflict by having the crew work on a project in an already empty clearing. While not overtly a book of mindfulness, this gentle look at taking time to pay attention to nature relays its message without overt proselytizing, and as always, Kuefler’s bold, blocky illustrations bring the tale to life beautifully, imbuing his vehicular cast with verve and personality. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Automation and natural environments come to a sweet accord in this gentle paean to taking time out. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 23, 2023
ISBN: 9780063237940
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
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