Maxi the Little Taxi

PreS-K—It's the first day on the job for this shiny new taxi, and he's ready to roll. "Maxi ZIPPED here. He ZIPPED there. He ZIPPED everywhere—From the park, to the river. And back to the square. He ZOOMED up. He ZOOMED down. HE ZOOMED all around town. Splashing in every big puddle he found!" His passengers drip ice cream and mustard on his seats, and a pigeon leaves its mark as well—soon poor Maxi is filthy, both inside and out. Then a spotless girl taxi sidles up and says, "You'd better wash up, Mr. Gooey-Goo. Or no one will want to ride with you!" Sure enough, everyone ignores him, leaving him in tears until a boy and his mother hop in. At the young rider's insistence, they go to a car wash, which proves somewhat traumatic for the little guy. As he peers into the "mouth" of the big pink car wash, he's afraid he'll be eaten "like a yellow gumdrop!" Soon, the exhausted car heads back to his friend, Mr. Buddy, at the garage and tells him about his day. After a final polish, he closes his eyes and falls asleep. The anthropomorphized cab is quite adorable, with two black eyes peering out the front window and a big smile on his front end. Cole's bright palette and lively, appealing illustrations are the perfect complement to the rhyming text, which is filled with onomatopoeia and amusing details sure to delight young readers.