BIG GREEN GARAGE

Enter the big green garage and see a car and a truck being fixed.

The interactivity starts right from the cover when readers are invited to slide open the green roll-up door of the garage. Children who are past the stage of naming transportation vehicles and are now interested in more detail will delight in what they will find inside, where a team of mechanics is in charge. Rhyming text explains the process. First the tow truck brings the car in to be fixed, the tools are gathered, and then the car is put on a lift, “Drain the oil. / Change the plugs. / Quiet noises. / Smooth out bugs.” The book is rich in car-related vocabulary, such as funnel, jack, plugs, wires, wrench, nut, hose, battery, belt, and muffler—a veritable trove for little mechanics in the making. To add to the fun, there are flaps to open, a wheel to turn, and objects to slide. Little hands may find some of these interactive elements difficult to move, particularly the sliding ones; a truck that can be moved along a curvy track will probably not hold up long but will be fun while it lasts. The gouache, pen, and digital collage illustrations are appealing, and the characters portrayed represent diverse ethnicities.

Add this to the young vehicle enthusiast’s bookshelf.