Strollercoaster

by Matt Ringler, Raúl the Third (Illustrator), Elaine Bay (Illustrator)

Overview

A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book

This joyous romp through the neighborhood celebrates the bond between a father and a child, illustrated by an award-winning artist team.

Buckle up as a toddler's tantrum is cleverly averted when a loving dad transforms an everyday neighborhood stroll into an extraordinary adventure, reminding us that all you need to chase away a bad mood is love and a little bit of imagination.

Brought to brilliantly-colored, kinetic life by award-winning artists Raúl the Third and Elaine Bay, Strollercoaster sings with details of a diverse and vibrant urban neighborhood bursting with life, enhanced by Spanish words embedded in the art. It's the best ride in town!
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316493222
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	06/01/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	666,834
Product dimensions:	11.60(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Matt Ringler is a children's book writer who loves roller coasters and any kind of fast ride. When his daughter Sam was small, he took her for Strollercoaster rides all over New York City. They now live together in Yonkers, New York.

Raul the Third and Elaine Bay were both born in El Paso, Texas and have been making art together since they met. Raul the Third is the Pura Belpre award winning illustrator of Lowriders to the Center of the Earth and Vamos! Let's Go to the Market and the creator of the World of Vamos! Elaine Bay is a multi-disciplinary artist and the colorist of the World of Vamos! books. They live in Boston with their son Raul El Gonzalez IV.

Editorial Reviews

03/22/2021

“Each and every day,” strong-willed young Sam, who has glossy black pigtails, finds that “inside feels too small.” Only briefly intimidated by the hail of flying toys that she begins flailing about, Sam’s parent straps Sam into a stroller (“SNAP! The buckle clicks. WHOOSH! The straps pull tight”) and launches the Strollercoaster. In their instantly identifiable comic book style, Raúl the Third and colorist Elaine Bay (the World of ¡Vamos! books) imagine the two careening through a cityscape crammed with sensory delights—colorful buildings, waving neighbors, Spanish-language signage, “Fresh sneakers. Sweet smells. Shouts from the basketball court.” Steep hills on the route provide a place for Sam’s parent to reach maximum speed (the wind “sounds like the noisiest noise, and Sam feels like she’s flying!!”). It all works magic on the girl’s terrible mood. Ringler (School Surprise!) is full of insight about the travails of toddlerhood, while Raúl the Third and Bay’s visual invention powers a dream of an urban landscape that gives joy to its community. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. Illustrator’s agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Kids everywhere will be honing their tantrum skills in hopes of riding their very own strollercoasters."—Kirkus

"Ringler (School Surprise!) is full of insight about the travails of toddlerhood, while Raúl the Third and Bay’s visual invention powers a dream of an urban landscape that gives joy to its community."—Publishers Weekly

"The bold, active artwork and Ringler’s energetic storytelling make this a great pick for a group read-aloud." —Booklist

"A joyful and oh-so relatable tale that will entertain and inspire readers."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

07/01/2021

PreS-Gr 1—A routine outing transforms into a grand adventure with the help of a little imagination. Around the same time every day, which parents and caregivers will irrefutably recognize, "the inside feels too small for Sam," a young and energetic toddler. After only a brief commotion and minor tantrum, Sam's father has the child secured and ready for a ride on the "strollercoaster." The illustrators deploy their signature vibrant, comics-art style, brimming with details as father and child embark on a sensational sensory-filled jaunt around their city. Throughout their journey that is reminiscent of a roller coaster ride, readers will see signage in Spanish, delightful storefronts, active neighbors of many races, and of course, tunnels and hills to maximize strollercoaster speed. The pair return home just in time for a nap. Readers are sure to plan their own strollercoaster trips after finishing this one. VERDICT A joyful and oh-so relatable tale that will entertain and inspire readers.—Olivia Gorecke, Cape May Cty. Lib., Ocean View, NJ

School Library Journal

★ 2021-03-17
It’s that time—the hour of doom wedged between when a toddler first becomes overtired and finally blissfully naps.

Frustration crackles through la casa like a downed power line. Tyrannical tantrums terrorize. Parental paroxysms of panic provoke pandemonium. Quick—to the STROLLERCOASTER! Down the streets of their barrio, Papi and daughter Sam whoosh, clack, and dive. Past the sugar-blasting pastelería, up the hill of no return, down the viaduct of trepidation, along the psychedelic wall of paleta rapture, and through the scratchboard black of Morpheus’ tunnel. The cranky, exhausted toddler is finally overcome by the whirlwind outing and is soon cuddled on the comfy couch with her slumbering Papacito. Ringler’s energetic narrative perfectly mimics the staccato thrills of a roller coaster. From the snap of the buckle to the paternal admonition “Keep your hands and feet inside at all times,” the stroller transforms into a ride Batman would envy. Raúl the Third and Bay’s tongue-in-cheek bilingual commentary planted in illustration details follows the frantic pair everywhere. From the encouraging “Corre” painted on the building they’re whizzing past at the beginning of their adventure to graffiti messages of “Estoy cansada” and “Tired?” as the toddler finally starts winding down, the whole barrio urges the fun-loving father and his thrill-seeking daughter to greater feats of glory.

Kids everywhere will be honing their tantrum skills in hopes of riding their very own strollercoasters. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews