I WANT TO DRIVE…

Vehicles on the job are put into action with the lift of a flap.

Featuring children’s favorite modes of transportation, from tractors to airplanes, this lift-the-flap board book shows drivable machines at work. The format is simple. The verso of each layout shows a large picture of the vehicle against a plain background, the engine and insides viewable beneath a flap. The recto then shows the same vehicle in action in a larger landscape, with other vehicles typically found in that environment and more flaps. The flaps themselves are more sophisticated than in many other books with manipulatives. A wide trench runs about the perimeter, making it quite easy to grab, especially helpful for little fingers. Furthermore, once the flap is folded open into place, it alters the surrounding image slightly, often conveying movement. A lifeboat rushes down into the water, for example; a bullet train whizzes by; and a plane takes off. The illustrations are incredibly detailed, inviting readers to linger. Children will be delighted by the tiny tractor engine, a miniature fish skeleton being dumped with other refuse into the back of a garbage truck, the materials inside an ambulance. The text pales beside the illustrations, oftentimes stating the obvious—“The cement pours out of the mixer”—without adding interesting factoids. People driving and interacting with these machines are diverse. The companion title, I Want To Be…, similarly explores different occupations.

The text is dull, but the dazzlingly detailed illustrations and clever flaps make up for it.