Speed

PreS-Gr 2—Young race fans will devour this thrilling picture book that not only details an auto race, but also uniquely and accurately demonstrates the purposes of racing flags. The fast-paced narrative opens with an informative guide to common flags, which then appear during the course of the story. On the following page, a race begins with the call for "ladies and gentlemen" to start their engines. Sleek, colorful stock cars rumble, vroom, turn, squeal, bump, spin, and smash. Pit crews service the vehicles. A flag man directs speedway traffic until the checkered flag waves the winner across the finish line. On the final page, the setting changes to a child sitting on a black-and-white checkerboard floor, or perhaps a bedspread, reenacting the race with small replica cars. Concise descriptive sentences combine with dramatic digital artwork to trace the action. Clement's lines, curves, and shapes convey motion, speed, and the excitement of the track. Combine this title with Cynthia Lord's Hot Rod Hamster (Scholastic, 2010) and Brian Floca's Racecar Alphabet (S & S, 2003) for a rousing auto-racing-themed storytime.—Lynn Vanca, Freelance Librarian, Akron, OH