Race Car Dreams & Bulldozer Dreams (Sharon Chriscoe)

Hello, friends! Our books today are Race Car Dreams and Bulldozer Dreams, written by Sharon Chriscoe and illustrated by Dave Mottram and John Joven, respectively.

Both stories follow the same beats: after a long and fun-filled day, the titular vehicle readies for bed, getting cleaned up, having a yummy meal, reading a book, then snuggling in for a good night’s sleep. After falling asleep, we follow each to dreamland to see what little vehicles dream of as they rest up for the next big day.

Very cute. “Getting ready for bed” books can often seem like a dime a dozen, and while they often employ a theme or gimmick, it has to be a good one to stand out. While I was a little surprised that the stories were so similar for both books, I understand the appeal: some kids like race cars, and some like construction vehicles. Beyond that, it’s the bouncy rhyming text and warm, cheerful illustrations that give these books their charm, and both have it in spades. From details like the race car snuggling his wrench for bed, the bulldozer dreaming of building a playground for smiling children, down to the living objects that populate their worlds, there’s a wealth of fun to be had for little bookworms who love things that go. The length of both is perfect for a bedtime story, and JJ (who is not normally a big vehicle enthusiast) really loved these and smiled from ear to ear as we read. Adorable bedtime fun, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved.

(Note: A copy of both books were provided to The Baby Bookworm by the author in exchange for an honest review.)

Drive: A Look At Roadside Opposites (Kellen Hatanaka)

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Summer Reading Day 36: Today was our first day of baby swim class (hence the awesome swim cover), but we still made time to get our book of the day in! Today’s pick was Drive: A Look At Roadside Opposites by Kellen Hatanaka. It’s a fairly standard opposites book with a few words on each page designating each opposite: big/small, far/near, etc. the real charm in this book is the mid-century modern style of illustration with simple blocks of muted yet pleasant colors to create each scene. It was a short read, but JJ liked it a lot.