Race Car Dreams

by Sharon Chriscoe, Dave Mottram (Illustrator)

Overview

After a day at the track of zipping and zooming, a race car is tired and ready for bed. He washes his rims, fills his tummy with oil, and chooses a book that is all about speed. All toasty and warm, he drifts off to sleep, he shifts into gear . . . and dreams of the race!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762459643
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	09/13/2016
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	237,144
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Sharon Chriscoe may not vroom around a race track, but she does zip and zoom around in a bread truck with her husband, Ricky. Fueled with fresh bread, snacks, and writing tools, Sharon has made this her mobile office! She and her husband live in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina. They have three children and an assortment of dogs, cats, bunnies and occasionally a groundhog. Sharon is also the author of The Sparrow and the Trees.

Dave Mottram always wanted to be an illustrator. He drew pictures until there was no paper left, then he drew on grocery bags. Nowadays he draws on his daughter's lunch bags and illustrates children's books in Stow, Ohio, where he lives with his family.

Editorial Reviews

09/01/2016
PreS-Gr 1—After a busy day at the track, one little race car gets ready for bed. He visits the Tickle-and-Wash for a shower and shine, stops for a fill-up at the Guzzle-and-Gulp, and chooses a bedtime book from the Speedy Reads Library before curling up with his wrench for the night—inexplicably in the middle of a field rather than in a garage. As he drifts off to sleep, the little car dreams of winning his next big race. The story unfolds in rhythmic four-line stanzas and is composed with a calm, soothing tone that makes this perfect for reading aloud before bed. Largely bathed in a cool nighttime palette of greens, blues, and violets, Mottram's colorful cartoon illustrations bring charming expressions to anthropomorphized vehicles and tools. VERDICT This sweet bedtime offering is ideal for vehicle and auto-racing enthusiasts.—Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elementary School, Abington School District, PA

School Library Journal

2016-06-01
How does a race car get ready for bed?After a high-octane day, this anthropomorphic race car is tired and "wringing with sweat." His headlights blink on, and he drives to the pit for a good bath. In addition to the foamy sudsing, he also washes his rims and shines up his chrome. Now he's as good as new; baby blue with a thick gold stripe running right down the middle and a big "2" on the doors. It's also time for an oil change; at the shop, "he guzzles and gulps each dark, oily drop." Now he's ready for sleep, but not before a good bedtime story. He chooses Run Cheetah, "a book that's all about speed." Resting in a green field studded with trees, he "snuggles his wrench" under one wheel as the moon shines bright. He turns on the heat to warm up his grille. "His engine now hums. He lets out a snore. / His bumpers relax and sprawl on the floor." Chriscoe's crisply rhyming text is enlivened by lots of punny expressions and colorful language, and little readers are not likely to be sticklers about things like sweaty cars. Mottram's artwork is similarly bright and lively, though youngsters will notice that the little car doesn't seem to have a grille, and the "floor" he sprawls on is grass. All in all, clever, bouncy fun. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews