THE RACECAR ALPHABET

On the title spread, a 1901 Ford bears down on the reader, its determined driver bent on speed—the first of many to come. Alliterative statements take readers through the alphabet and a hundred years of racecars: “Eyes in the audience, each open and eager, expecting excitement (enduring exhaust). / Flat feared and fought, the driver’s foe” accompanies a double-page spread of 1920s-era racegoers watching as five cars blur by—and one driver kicks a flat tire in frustration. A variety of startling perspectives aided by loose ink drawings and streaky watercolors create an astonishing sense of movement and speed. The humor inherent in much of the text—“X-ray after an accident. / ‘Yelp!’ ”—may be lost on the preschool set, but not on the patient adults who will be asked to read this offering again—and again—and again. An enthusiastic author’s note outlining the history of auto racing and endpapers depicting all the cars with years and makes provide some educational content, but it’s the zooming spreads that drive this book. Hold on to your hats! (Picture book. 3-7)