Vroomaloom Zoom - Reviews |
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Publishers Weekly |
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Carmela who has a "car" in her name likes to be lulled by a revving motor. Wearing fuzzy slippers and carrying a sleepy-eyed owl doll, she skips out to a Beetle-round automobile. Her dad, in aviator goggles and gloves, brings the keys. " 'It's late,' Dad says as they drive out of town. 'Ready for sleep?' 'Not yet, Daddy. Keep driving.' " The two ride across mountains and past waterfalls, with sound effects to match the impressive scenery: "through woods/ whoo whoo/ in cities/ pell mell bell yell/ all the way to the sea/ splash dash wave crash." Carmela keeps her eyes open as long as she can, always telling her father, "Keep driving." Coy (Night Driving) uses onomatopoeia on every page: the "wurgle lurgle" of a swamp may be more effective than the airy "swoosh awoosh" of the car rushing forward, but much of the fun is figuring out how to make the various sounds. Cepeda (Nappy Hair) composes abstract American landscapes in vast, flat planes of warm color, underpainted in bright complementary hues of fuchsia and lavender. Broad swoops of orange sunset make a mellow backdrop, and the daffodil-yellow car bounces merrily along on its offroad adventures, with Carmela gazing out the back window and her smiling dad facing front. This bedtime story takes its participants far afield without even leaving the driveway. Ages 6-8. |
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School Library Journal |
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PreSchool-Grade 2: In this delightful story, Coy treats readers to a variety of descriptive rhyming lines as a father and daughter go for a ride in their big yellow car on a hot August night. They drive through woods-"whoo whoo." They go all the way to the sea-"splash dash wave crash." Still, the child isn't sleepy, so they travel through the swamp-"wurgle lurgle." The large, brightly colored pictures are so vivid that they almost glow, emphasizing the upbeat mood and enjoyable time Carmela and her dad are sharing. Funny details abound in the art, adding moments of humor not addressed in the narrative. The rhythmic, repetitive text and the vibrant pictures against colorful pages make this story a perfect read-aloud. Children will love this African-American duo as they make their journey to nowhere. (starred review) |
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– Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA |
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Amazon.com |
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Ages 3-5. Any parent who has had a child who can't sleep will identify with this one. Carmela isn't ready to go to sleep, so her father puts her in the back seat of his banana-yellow car. As they drive around farmland, through the woods, into the city ("pell mell bell YELL"), along the waves, and through the swamps, Carmela sits happily clutching her blankie, not even close to nodding off. Well, how can she, when Dad is driving forward, backward, sideways, and around in circles? Just when it seems Carmela's eyes might be closing, they pop open, and she tells Dad, "Keep driving." Dad, in driving gloves and goggles, seems pretty happy to comply. Every bit of the noisy action of the text is matched by the frenetic movement of the art. Using oil paint with an acrylic underpainting, the sturdy, thickly painted pictures are the height of whimsy. A giggly, wiggly winner, but not for bedtime! |
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– Ilene Cooper |
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