Even though my sister and I were nearly 6 years apart, that didn't stop us from quarreling horribly whenever in the same vicinity. Indeed, the worst arguments always came on long car rides, since there was little room to move and get away from one another. Those arguments, though they drove our poor parents crazy, are nothing compared with the exploits of the two back-seat battlebots in Ride.
We begin the story with two happy-go-lucky parents taking their children on a Sunday drive. The children, little hellions that they are, protest mightily. The mom asks the favor that all parents ask of their children on long car rides, "Please don't argue!"
This falls upon deaf ears as the children begin to fight. First the brother crosses the invisible barrier that is "the middle" and then the sister commits the unforgivable act of touching him! Next comes the name calling and the fisticuffs!
And this is where the line between fantasy and reality becomes a little blurry! On the next page we are treated to seats flying and somehow, furniture crashing! The battles become more and more unbelievable until the children finally turn into dinosaurs for the ultimate battle against each other!
Finally, the back-seat battle quells long enough for the family to have a little lunch. What do you think happens when both children are armed with ooey-gooey peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?
The best thing "to me" about this book are the wonderful illustrations. They use every color of the rainbow (Roy G. Biv) and really are "eye candy." The pictures are whimsical and full of imagination. The words of the story are actually a part of the picture, so there is nothing there to distract the reader. I've read a review where the children in the story were described as looking like those "Chucky" dolls from the movie Child's Play and I have to agree! They are rather frightening looking with their little faces all scrunched up in anger!
The best thing to my five-year old, for whom the book is written (not my son particularly, but children ages 4-7) are the insults that the brother and sister hurl at one another. For some reason, any word having to do with a bodily function is hysterically funny to children of this age (unless my child and his mates are just juvenile delinquents in the making) and this book has the phrases "Poopy Face" and "Booger Breath," both of which wrestled a deep chuckle from my son. Anyone who uses these terms correctly on our playground is held in high regard.
If you enjoy this book, you may consider checking out the other books Gammell has written and illustrated: Twigboy, Is That You, Winter?, and Once upon MacDonald's Farm
If you, like me, think the drawings are what makes this book rock, check out the other books Gammell has merely illustrated: Monster Mama, Song and Dance Man, Old Black Fly, and The Relatives Came.
Recommended:
