A big blue classic convertible floats down the street until this “Sleepy Cadillac” stops by a little boy’s window and takes him for a ride in the night sky. The engine’s running like a regular car, but this magical contraption is flying high above the city: “Drift to the dream station. / Fill up the tank/ with dreams to make the Cadillac fly. / Past the houses, / past the lawns, / past the mall.” The car floats over the ocean where the whales snooze, up to the moon where all the other sleepy cars carry their sleepy passengers, and all the way to Pajama Land, where wispy-looking dreamers drift in a swirly cloud. Even if young ones don’t find the idea of riding in a flying car very soothing, Hurd’s words are undeniably hypnotic, causing eyelids to get heavier—and heavier. Soft pastel and pastel-pencil landscapes further cast their spell “Until all the eyes droop / and all the heads nod, / and everyone dreams the night away.” (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: May 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-073020-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2005
A young boy’s imagination fuels adventures galore in this clever one-to-ten counting book. When the boy’s toy tractor runs out of gas, he turns to other amusements; as he flies his toy plane, he looks up to see a small mouse piloting one higher up in the sky. The two new friends welcome three boatloads of pirates, who quickly join in the fun, acting on their own instead of being manipulated by the boy as regular playthings are. Together, they all build roads, battle a fire-breathing dragon, take a train ride and peddle their bicycles. When the fun is done, the boy solemnly waves goodbye to the already distant ships and plane. One of the last spreads shows him fast asleep in the grass and surrounded by the toys that inspired his amazing imagination. Rogers’s watercolors truly make this concept come to life. Each of the toys has its own personality, and young readers will patiently seek out each of their silly antics on the generous full-page spreads. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: March 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-8234-1923-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2008
A toddler plays king of the world as he maneuvers his toy vehicles around the track. Not only does he report traffic, he creates it. Enhanced with a toy robot, baseballs, chess pieces, a teddy bear and pencils, the track is multilevel, varied and propped up with stacks of books and shoeboxes. Included are trucks, trains, helicopters, buses, fire engines and of course, traffic lights. All this is conveyed, in great majority, by the illustrations that offer a bird’s eye view of the workings of a child’s clever imagination. The rhyming tempo is simple and straightforward, covering several automotive modes of transportation and their trappings: “Red lights flash. / Rail cars roll. /At the booth, / pay a toll.” Simply put, this is geared toward the youngest of car-crazy kids. The artwork is lively and rendered in thick, eye-catching colors with active strokes that provide a sense of motion. Not exactly Go Car, Go, but, nonetheless, a blithe and youthful lap read. (Picture book. 2-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-15-202582-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Gulliver/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2005
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