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IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT

Name: IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT
Author: Max Haynes
ISBN: 0-385-32502-9

by Max Haynes & illustrated by Max Haynes ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1997

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As if from a movie camera's viewfinder, a fantasy drive in a hot little car enfolds. The viewpoint is the driver's: Readers see the top of the bold, colorful steering wheel, stylized jazzy dials on the dashboard, part of the hood, and whatever lies ahead. ``Yikes! Look out for that cow! Mooooo! Turn right, right, right!'' The car goes through a barn, off a mountain, underwater, through a tunnel, and ends up on a race track, in competition to a first-place finish. The surprising obstacles and locales add to the frantic pace of the text, which includes lots of opportunities for honks and beeps. Adults may find the spreads monotonous—the front windshield and dashboard don't vary, of course, but that's precisely why preschoolers will love it. The bold drawings feature the heavy black lines found in many board books, but with more sophisticated shapes; Haynes plays with the signs, racing stripes, and the checkerboard curve of a track, fully conveying you-are-there immediacy to children. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1997

ISBN: 0-385-32502-9

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1997

Categories:

CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
TICKLEMONSTER AND ME
by Max Haynes & illustrated by Max Haynes

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GOOD LUCK, ICE CREAM TRUCK!

by Sorche Fairbank ; illustrated by Terry Runyan ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 29, 2025

May try the patience of antsy little ones, though vehicle fans will be delighted.

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A cast of critters as impatient as they are colorful yearn for frozen treats.

In a neighborhood occupied by sweet-toothed beasties, the ice cream truck reigns supreme, but a lengthy roster of vehicles must first pass through this animal kingdom—a dump truck, mail truck, and fire truck, to name just a few. Trucks putter through town to onlookers’ delight and disappointment, and spectators bid each one farewell and wish it good luck—all the while dreaming of the delectable goodies to come. Eagle-eyed readers will know when to expect the ice cream truck’s advent, cleverly foreshadowed in the book’s opening spread. While Runyan’s work is pleasing in its simplicity, with characters rendered in bright watercolors and their homes and greenery depicted in appealing collages, Fairbank’s story drags on a shade too long. Though transportation-loving tots will eagerly exclaim over the various vehicles, others will grow frustrated waiting for the titular truck to arrive. Those seeking to incorporate the book into a storytime may want to practice reading this one aloud first, as some of the verses feel a bit clunky.

May try the patience of antsy little ones, though vehicle fans will be delighted. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: April 29, 2025

ISBN: 9780062842114

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

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THE OLD SLEIGH

by Jarrett Pumphrey & Jerome Pumphrey ; illustrated by Jarrett Pumphrey & Jerome Pumphrey ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 4, 2025

A thought-provoking tale of growth and change.

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The Pumphrey brothers bring their now-signature style to this tale of an old sleigh that, like the vehicles in The Old Truck (2020) and The Old Boat (2021) before it, works hard in a changing world.

As the story opens, readers see a Black-presenting child and parent chopping firewood and loading it into a horse-drawn sleigh against a snowy landscape. “In a small town,” we learn, “an old sleigh gave all it took.” Parent and child deliver the firewood throughout the town, making it “merry and bright.” But the small town grows bigger, and the old sleigh’s wooden body begins to break down. The industrious child turns some of its planks into a new sled and uses it to deliver smaller loads of firewood. In the final pages, readers see that the child’s parent has repaired the old sleigh, which the child, older now, uses to deliver firewood in the “small city” that has sprung up. Some readers may be left with questions: Is the figure driving the sleigh at book’s close the child, now all grown up? And can a city really spring up that fast? On the whole, though, the narrative beguiles as sleigh and sled haul their loads from verso to recto across each scene. The community’s buildings stand out against the snow in reds, greens, and mustards, and the simple and rhythmic text charms.

A thought-provoking tale of growth and change. (Picture book. 4-8)