VROOM!

The title says it all.

Her auburn hair billowing behind like a second cloud of exhaust, little Annie peels out of her bedroom window in a silver bullet of a car. Helmet and gloves in place, she takes straight roads past fields of grain, twists up snow-capped mountains, zooms through deserts and woods. In the city, traffic slows her down for a second, and then she’s winning races, ultimately ending safely back home in a familiar room. “Tomorrow would be another fine day for a drive.” Writing with cadences plucked straight out of Sendak’s playbook, McClintock never wastes a syllable. Annie’s journey encapsulates “hot and dry” deserts and a “cool, damp forest.” The book allows kids the exhilaration of escape, coupling speed and danger with a warm bed and cuddle after a long day. Vast panoramic vistas from on high contrast exquisitely with intimate shots like that of Annie’s face in her rear-view mirror. Little details include the hubcaps that adorn Annie’s bedroom wall or the bald eagle peeking out of a tree as the girl whizzes past. The book doesn’t just put readers in Annie’s shoes. It dares them to find shoes of their own and let their imaginations take the wheel. Annie and her family present white.

Max had his wolf suit and Llama Llama his red pajamas; Annie has her racing togs. She fits right in.