TAXI RIDE WITH VICTOR

A space taxi ride with Victor probably won’t get you anywhere near where you ask to go, but….

Victor has always wanted to be a taxi driver, but now that he is one, he gets lost. A pale, four-armed, sunglasses-wearing ET, Victor always tries to find the right place, though. On Monday, he picks up a seven-limbed, five-eyed lady who wants to go to the hairdresser but drops her at the amusement park. On Tuesday, her grandson wants to go to that amusement park; Victor takes him to the library. The next day, the head librarian needs to get to work but is dropped at the dentist! (Judging by his snaggly teeth, this is not so bad an outcome.) The ghost (who’s toothless) wants to go to the dentist too, but it goes to the mad scientist’s lab instead. Instead of at the tallest mountain, a rain cloud finds itself on the driest planet…and the queen of the driest planet ends up at the hairdresser. As the narrator (a three-eyed, gray creature) says, Victor may not be the greatest taxi driver, but he sure excels at bringing people happiness—so they all throw him a party. This translation/adaptation of a title originally published in Germany in 2018 tells its tale without too many frills, but Klever’s whackadoodle, literally spacey, bright illustrations (shortlisted for the World Illustration Award) are outta this world.

A parable of perseverance and positive attitude.