NOT JUST THE DRIVER!

A paean to air-traffic controllers, bus mechanics, subway signal maintainers, and the other support personnel who ensure that transportation systems work.

Snappy rhyming verse introduces the question: “Who guides floating fleets with ease / and water-travel expertise? / Who checks weather, minds the clocks, / brings the ferry in to docks?” A car ferry, yacht, fishing boat, container ship, and more—even a green submarine with yellow polka dots—crowd the waters in a representative double-page spread. With the turn of the page, readers see the answer, rendered in jaunty, blocky lettering: “IT’S NOT JUST THE CAPTAIN!” The verse continues, detailing the work of the land-based dispatchers, who sit in an office on the wharf labeled “Harbormaster” as the ferry pulls in to its berth. Support crews for buses, trucks, subways, trains, and planes are also introduced, with Neubecker’s characteristically busy cartoons depicting happy passengers and workers of many different racial and gender presentations; one, a harbormaster, uses a wheelchair. The verse rollicks along as smoothly as these varied vehicles move, carrying readers through concise descriptions of jobs and roles they may never have considered, until they reach the final, exuberant line: “TEAMWORK HELPS THE WORLD TO MOVE!” Picture-book shelves are groaning with celebrations of transportation, but this one stands out in its salutary commitment to shining a spotlight on support teams.

A warmly inclusive addition to the things-that-go genre.