Motor Goose: Rhymes That Go!

PreS-K—Putting a twist on familiar nursery rhymes, Colby has created original, vehicle-themed verses. Her clever parodies, organized by time periods over the course of a day, can be sung or recited. The book wraps up at the end of the day with "Rest Awhile, Cruiser," which can be sung to the tune of "Rock-a-Bye Baby." Some of the creative poems rhyme or scan better than others. "Barry Was a Little Sub" has adult British sensibilities, concluding in the final verse that Barry was a spy. British vocabulary is found in the poem "Old Beat-Up Banger," using a car term that might be unfamiliar to youngsters from the United States. Humor abounds in "Bumpty Dumpty," about a turned-over trash truck, and in "Hey Digger, Digger," where a construction vehicle gets caught in the hole he made. Kaminsky's serviceable artwork uses Corel Painter with digital charcoal to draw the black lines and paint the colors. This style creates a textured appearance for broad areas, such as the pavement or grass. The illustrator also relies on a variety of page designs. For example, the center section showing skyscrapers requires that readers turn the book vertically to appreciate the spread.