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Everything Goes Big Books
Everything Goes: On Land
Cars and trucks and bikes and trains! Rvs and construction vehicles too! Everything goes Ride along with Henry and his dad as they visit the big city and check out all the amazing vehicles around them. Full of mini-story lines, endless seek-and-find activities, and hundreds of funny details, Everything Goes: On Land is an interactive book that provides hours of fun!
56 pages, Hardcover
First published September 13, 2011
1 person is currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Brian Biggs
116 books32 followersBrian Biggs is the author and illustrator of more than a dozen children's books including the Everything Goes series, Tinyville Town, The Space Walk, and My Hero. He has also illustrated more than 60 book written by authors such as Jon Scieszka, Katherine Applegate, Cynthia Rylant, and Mac Barnett.
In addition, Brian created the graphic novels Frederick & Eloise, published by Fantagraphics in 1993, and Dear Julia, published by Top Shelf in 1999.
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Brian lived in Texas, New York, France, and California before settling down in Philadelphia, where he lives with his wife and several imaginary friends.
In addition, Brian created the graphic novels Frederick & Eloise, published by Fantagraphics in 1993, and Dear Julia, published by Top Shelf in 1999.
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Brian lived in Texas, New York, France, and California before settling down in Philadelphia, where he lives with his wife and several imaginary friends.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
November 19, 2011
There is much to be said for simplicity. The elegant understated picture book that contains peaceful moments of serenity with the idea that a child might get lost in the image of a single field during a snowstorm, say, for hours at a time. Yes indeed. Nothing like it. There is much to be said for simplicity, but let me level with you. When I was a kid I liked quiet books, but only when my craving for the wild, colorful, frantic, and fast-paced had been fulfilled. It's easy to swallow Tasha Tudor when you've supped first on some Seuss and Scarry. Part of what I love about picture books is that there's room for all kinds. The long and the short. The classic and the new. The understated and, in this particular case, the overwhelming. Brian Biggs has brought to life the literary equivalent of Pop Rocks and Pixie Stix dissolved into Jolt Cola. A hugely entertaining, entirely loving citywide romp that puts the author/illustrator on the map and (I predict) will be impossible to pries from the hands of many a vehicular loving tot.
In the first few panels we see a boy and his father hop into their car and take off. Onto highways, off ramps, and finally into the big city. The two take note as they drive of all the kinds of vehicles they see. Different kinds of cars and bicycles. An array of motor homes and motorcycles. Trains and trucks. Buses and subways. Basically if you can think of the method of ground transportation, it's in here somewhere. Biggs breaks up his incredibly detailed city scenes with close examinations of the vehicles in question. You might see the different parts the bicycle on one page or the way a motorcycle comes together on another. Finally, we learn about the duo's ultimate destination and then it's a quick jaunt home yet again.
No surprise that Mr. Biggs loved to pieces his copy of Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go when he was a kid. This book feels like nothing so much as the lovechild of Richard Scarry and Robert Crumb with a healthy dose of Mark Alan Stamaty for spice. I explain. The Scarry comparison is obvious. One of the great joys of his books is that in the midst of great big city scenes you can find small storylines and continuing gags. Like Scarry, Biggs makes a point of identifying vehicles of different types and kinds. Yet he also has little hidden details that kids will love to find. I'm thinking specifically of the birds wearing hats. Every big complicated scene in the book (and I checked) contains at least one bird wearing a hat. So there's a certain kind of child who will pore over this book page by page, searching for these birds and their unexpectedly stylish headgear. The numbers 1 to 100 appear throughout the book too, so try to find them all! As for my Robert Crumb comparison, his Mr. Natural may not make a direct appearance in this book, but it sure looks like a lot of his various family members and relations got in somehow. Finally, it's hard to read this book without thinking about the remarkable (not to say mildly insane) classic work of seventies insanity Who Needs Donuts by Mark Alan Stamaty. It may be black and white but what it lacks in saturation it makes up for in sheer detail. Consider pairing that book with this one if you're feeling like experiencing what it must feel like to pop your eyeballs in a dishwasher for a while.
Of course the difference between Biggs and Scarry is in the details. Not the fact that both of them do details (in fact Biggs seems even more dedicated to callbacks and surprises that Scarry was) but rather that Mr. Biggs is a fan of the shout-out. It must be very satisfying to be a friend of Mr. Biggs. Like fellow illustrator Dan Santat, the man is not afraid to fill his pages with names that I suspect refer often to real people. I was convinced of this when I noticed near the back of the book that the streetcar at the end is traveling towards Bray Avenue. Donna Bray's imprint is the one printing this book, remember. After realizing that I decided that this book must be chock full of in-jokes. Not a problem in the least, but it does mean that Mr. Biggs will have to created The Annotated Everything Goes on Land someday to satisfy the curiosity of his yet unborn fans.
I think what really shines through in this book, though, is the creator's sheer love for cities. I know the title is ostensibly about vehicles and modes of transportation, but you look at the care taken with each scene and it feels like nothing so much as a love song to city living. The busyness and excitement of the different scenes just make you feel like you want to take a trip there. Yes, I'd like to visit Le Pont de Sevres Bakery or Thrift Town. I'd want to try the subway system or hear the buskers. Biggs just sort of identifies the best parts of city living and renders what could be overwhelming and scary into the merely fun and full. There's something to be said for that. He's like an anti-Ezra Jack Keats (in a good way, I mean).
The back of the book tells you right upfront that this is just the first in a series that will later include books where everything goes into the air and then into the sea. Indeed Biggs makes a sly allusion to that himself on the very last page. There you can see a stop sign and below it a picture of a plane with an arrow. Clearly we're proceeding to the airport next. My fingers are firmly crossed for a zeppelin (since Biggs met my penny-farthing desires, I have every reason in the world to believe that he will make it so).
I envision the future of this book as an answer to those parents who want something like Richard Scarry but who also want hidden details along the lines of Where's Waldo and Walter Wick's books. I could probably go on for a couple more paragraphs discussing all the stuff Mr. Biggs has hidden in this book, but what fun would that be for you? Best that you locate yourself your own copy and enjoy it that way. Everything Goes on Land is sort of the perfect gift book for a child, any child, regardless of a predisposition for vehicular transportation or not. It's just fun on a bunch of different levels. Give it to the kid who has a parent that's sick and tired of rereading picture books. Odds are it'll become their favorite book too.
For ages 3 and up.
In the first few panels we see a boy and his father hop into their car and take off. Onto highways, off ramps, and finally into the big city. The two take note as they drive of all the kinds of vehicles they see. Different kinds of cars and bicycles. An array of motor homes and motorcycles. Trains and trucks. Buses and subways. Basically if you can think of the method of ground transportation, it's in here somewhere. Biggs breaks up his incredibly detailed city scenes with close examinations of the vehicles in question. You might see the different parts the bicycle on one page or the way a motorcycle comes together on another. Finally, we learn about the duo's ultimate destination and then it's a quick jaunt home yet again.
No surprise that Mr. Biggs loved to pieces his copy of Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go when he was a kid. This book feels like nothing so much as the lovechild of Richard Scarry and Robert Crumb with a healthy dose of Mark Alan Stamaty for spice. I explain. The Scarry comparison is obvious. One of the great joys of his books is that in the midst of great big city scenes you can find small storylines and continuing gags. Like Scarry, Biggs makes a point of identifying vehicles of different types and kinds. Yet he also has little hidden details that kids will love to find. I'm thinking specifically of the birds wearing hats. Every big complicated scene in the book (and I checked) contains at least one bird wearing a hat. So there's a certain kind of child who will pore over this book page by page, searching for these birds and their unexpectedly stylish headgear. The numbers 1 to 100 appear throughout the book too, so try to find them all! As for my Robert Crumb comparison, his Mr. Natural may not make a direct appearance in this book, but it sure looks like a lot of his various family members and relations got in somehow. Finally, it's hard to read this book without thinking about the remarkable (not to say mildly insane) classic work of seventies insanity Who Needs Donuts by Mark Alan Stamaty. It may be black and white but what it lacks in saturation it makes up for in sheer detail. Consider pairing that book with this one if you're feeling like experiencing what it must feel like to pop your eyeballs in a dishwasher for a while.
Of course the difference between Biggs and Scarry is in the details. Not the fact that both of them do details (in fact Biggs seems even more dedicated to callbacks and surprises that Scarry was) but rather that Mr. Biggs is a fan of the shout-out. It must be very satisfying to be a friend of Mr. Biggs. Like fellow illustrator Dan Santat, the man is not afraid to fill his pages with names that I suspect refer often to real people. I was convinced of this when I noticed near the back of the book that the streetcar at the end is traveling towards Bray Avenue. Donna Bray's imprint is the one printing this book, remember. After realizing that I decided that this book must be chock full of in-jokes. Not a problem in the least, but it does mean that Mr. Biggs will have to created The Annotated Everything Goes on Land someday to satisfy the curiosity of his yet unborn fans.
I think what really shines through in this book, though, is the creator's sheer love for cities. I know the title is ostensibly about vehicles and modes of transportation, but you look at the care taken with each scene and it feels like nothing so much as a love song to city living. The busyness and excitement of the different scenes just make you feel like you want to take a trip there. Yes, I'd like to visit Le Pont de Sevres Bakery or Thrift Town. I'd want to try the subway system or hear the buskers. Biggs just sort of identifies the best parts of city living and renders what could be overwhelming and scary into the merely fun and full. There's something to be said for that. He's like an anti-Ezra Jack Keats (in a good way, I mean).
The back of the book tells you right upfront that this is just the first in a series that will later include books where everything goes into the air and then into the sea. Indeed Biggs makes a sly allusion to that himself on the very last page. There you can see a stop sign and below it a picture of a plane with an arrow. Clearly we're proceeding to the airport next. My fingers are firmly crossed for a zeppelin (since Biggs met my penny-farthing desires, I have every reason in the world to believe that he will make it so).
I envision the future of this book as an answer to those parents who want something like Richard Scarry but who also want hidden details along the lines of Where's Waldo and Walter Wick's books. I could probably go on for a couple more paragraphs discussing all the stuff Mr. Biggs has hidden in this book, but what fun would that be for you? Best that you locate yourself your own copy and enjoy it that way. Everything Goes on Land is sort of the perfect gift book for a child, any child, regardless of a predisposition for vehicular transportation or not. It's just fun on a bunch of different levels. Give it to the kid who has a parent that's sick and tired of rereading picture books. Odds are it'll become their favorite book too.
For ages 3 and up.
March 6, 2012
This book has way too many details for the average young reader. Plus way too much going on to read and focus on everything. Its like an I spy or where's Waldo but with disorganized reading all over. IF the facts were a little simplier, and the story off to one corner that would have made this so much easier.
May 26, 2012
Everything Goes: On Land by Brian Biggs is a large-format picture book that chronicles cars, bicycles, motorcycles, trucks and other vehicles that go on land.
I highly recommend reading Elizabeth Bird's Goodreads review on this book, especially her comments regarding R. Crumb, Waldo, and details.
Biggs' detailed, colorful, action-filled illustrations will have children looking for birds with hats, the numbers 1-100, out-of-place things, and continuing stories involving certain people or stores. I really liked the cats pictured, a certain driving school and their car, a policeman's arrest, the car-pool, and a familiar-looking band on a roof.
The conversation between a boy and his father provides the bulk of the text, with other characters chiming in. Many vehicle types are labeled. Breaking up the humorous city scenes with double page spreads of certain vehcle types is informative and entertaining. Beginning-to-transitional readers will love this. This should keep kids very busy looking at details. This is highly recommended for school and public library collections.
For ages 3 and up, informational, vehicles, transportation, series, city, humor, read-aloud, early-reader, and fans of Brian Biggs.
I highly recommend reading Elizabeth Bird's Goodreads review on this book, especially her comments regarding R. Crumb, Waldo, and details.
Biggs' detailed, colorful, action-filled illustrations will have children looking for birds with hats, the numbers 1-100, out-of-place things, and continuing stories involving certain people or stores. I really liked the cats pictured, a certain driving school and their car, a policeman's arrest, the car-pool, and a familiar-looking band on a roof.
The conversation between a boy and his father provides the bulk of the text, with other characters chiming in. Many vehicle types are labeled. Breaking up the humorous city scenes with double page spreads of certain vehcle types is informative and entertaining. Beginning-to-transitional readers will love this. This should keep kids very busy looking at details. This is highly recommended for school and public library collections.
For ages 3 and up, informational, vehicles, transportation, series, city, humor, read-aloud, early-reader, and fans of Brian Biggs.
February 4, 2012
Reminds me of Richard Scarry with brighter colors and focus pages. Kids will love it but this is a 1:1 or 1:2 book - lots of great information on each page.
March 29, 2024
Love the illustrations! So much to look at!
Reminds me of a modern Richard Scary book.
I had to go back and look at the pictures again. After reading another review, I did not realize you can look for numbers 1-100. I did start looking for birds with hats during my first reading. So much detail!
Reminds me of a modern Richard Scary book.
I had to go back and look at the pictures again. After reading another review, I did not realize you can look for numbers 1-100. I did start looking for birds with hats during my first reading. So much detail!
July 21, 2018
This will be Soren's favorite book in four years.
January 12, 2012
Everything Goes on Land by Brian Biggs is a wonderful picture book full of brightly colored illustrations and lots of great specific vocabulary words about vehicles that go on land.
It's the story of a father and his son, traveling in their little purple car, talking about all the different kinds of moving things they pass as they travel through a city.
It's quite cleverly done with some animal characters and some people who are obviously important and unusual characters in addition to the father and son. A bird wearing a hat, dogs everywhere, a guy in striped pants on rollerskates with a yo-yo, a robot and much more are there to discover after the vehicles have been seen and identified.
The first "city" page is filled with cars. Station wagons, hatchbacks, electric cars, antique cars and convertible sports cars are just a few of them. The next page continues with race cars, jeeps, taxicabs, police cars and more. The next page is a picture of the car the father and son are riding in with a diagram of how the engine and wheels work as well as a text explanation.
Read the whole review at: http://www.examiner.com/book-in-natio...
It's the story of a father and his son, traveling in their little purple car, talking about all the different kinds of moving things they pass as they travel through a city.
It's quite cleverly done with some animal characters and some people who are obviously important and unusual characters in addition to the father and son. A bird wearing a hat, dogs everywhere, a guy in striped pants on rollerskates with a yo-yo, a robot and much more are there to discover after the vehicles have been seen and identified.
The first "city" page is filled with cars. Station wagons, hatchbacks, electric cars, antique cars and convertible sports cars are just a few of them. The next page continues with race cars, jeeps, taxicabs, police cars and more. The next page is a picture of the car the father and son are riding in with a diagram of how the engine and wheels work as well as a text explanation.
Read the whole review at: http://www.examiner.com/book-in-natio...
January 15, 2012
A young boy and his father travel to the crowded city where everyone is going - by car, truck,
bicycle, motorbike, and train. The informative conversation as well as diagrams and endless backstories told in labels and text bubbles inform as well as entertain the reader. The search and find component will keep young motor lovers coming back to each spread again and again. The final double-dread at their destination makes a great climax to the tale. The lively, colorful illustrations and humorous multiple small story lines are delightful.
This is a nice addition to a transportation unit even though it is too busy for a read-aloud. It is a wonderful book for one-to-one sharing. The double-spread is a nice climax, however it may be the first part of the book to be damaged.
bicycle, motorbike, and train. The informative conversation as well as diagrams and endless backstories told in labels and text bubbles inform as well as entertain the reader. The search and find component will keep young motor lovers coming back to each spread again and again. The final double-dread at their destination makes a great climax to the tale. The lively, colorful illustrations and humorous multiple small story lines are delightful.
This is a nice addition to a transportation unit even though it is too busy for a read-aloud. It is a wonderful book for one-to-one sharing. The double-spread is a nice climax, however it may be the first part of the book to be damaged.
November 10, 2011
A fun, read that teaches kids all about different means of transportation. Each of the busy, brightly colored pages shows a variety of ways we can get around the city, from the subway, to trains, taxis, motorcycles, cars, trucks etc. One of the engaging things about this story are the captions found on each page by each different car, truck, motorcycle etc. This made if fun for the kids to find the different vehicles and learn what they do.
This is a great book to pick up. You can even have your child count the different vehicles found on each page, point out colors, and look for silly things pictured on each page. I highly recommend picking it up!
This is a great book to pick up. You can even have your child count the different vehicles found on each page, point out colors, and look for silly things pictured on each page. I highly recommend picking it up!
July 6, 2012
An extremely busy book! This would never work for a storytime. A read-alone would work for the older child who wouldn't be overwhelmed by everything going on, figure out exactly which parts of the picture are labeled, and could pick up on some of the jokes, the run-on jokes, and the arcing stories. For the younger child a lap-read would probably be best so an adult could help point those things out. But for those young kids who love cars & trucks, this is a fun choice.
October 5, 2011
Grades Pre-K to 1. WOW! Busy pages are filled with all kinds of land transportation-- cars, trucks, motorcycles, bikes, rails, buses. And fun cross-section descriptions of how they work. Cute dialog and captions make this a fun read for mom and dad, too. Read more than once and pick up new things.
December 12, 2011
Genre: Concept Picture Book. My four year old loved this book and so did I. Each illustration has so much going on that we could look at one page for 15 minutes and talk about what we see. The cartoon style delivery of information keeps the reader engaged while providing a ton of vocabulary and information.
December 20, 2013
My 5yr old loved this book.
We read it at bedtime, then he sits and looks at books until lights out.
This was a favorite of his. He checked it out twice from his school library.
So much detail, and little things to look at. Funny details too. Text bubbles from persons around town were entertaining.
I want to own this book, and the others in this "Everything Goes" series.
We read it at bedtime, then he sits and looks at books until lights out.
This was a favorite of his. He checked it out twice from his school library.
So much detail, and little things to look at. Funny details too. Text bubbles from persons around town were entertaining.
I want to own this book, and the others in this "Everything Goes" series.
September 17, 2015
Brian Biggs does it again! I love, love, love this book and could read it over and over. Also, when you read it next to his other books, you begin to see recurring themes and characters - the artist, the birds with hats, robot, astronaut - as well as all the little bitty details (both realistic and fantastic) that make every page an experience. Funny, informative and detailed; I love it!
October 25, 2011
If I had a nephew I thought would still go for this book, this would probably be on my Christmas gift list. Lots of details to pore through, lots of information. Perfect for browsing and reading with the sort of little boy who is vehicle mad.
November 7, 2011
So much in this book about transportation! This book would be great for teaching about the different types of transportation that are used around the world. It also shows the inside parts of the vehicle, giving the vocabulary to the different parts.
January 14, 2012
My two year old loves this book! he can stare at it for hours! The ilustration is enless! everytime he looks at it, he finds something new that he missed the time before. It's great for long drives in the car and for entertainment when you are potty training.
September 22, 2012
Another surprise hit. We have read this over and over and over. Vibrant, busy illustrations with speech bubbles rather than an in-line story.
I'd give it a rather neutral 3 stars myself. Based on reading requests, kiddo would rate it 5 stars. Four stars it is.
I'd give it a rather neutral 3 stars myself. Based on reading requests, kiddo would rate it 5 stars. Four stars it is.
October 20, 2011
Lots of cool stuff on these pages to pass the hours.
December 7, 2011
Reminds me of Richard Scarry. Can see the labels as valuable for ELL's. although it's destined for the preschool set.
January 25, 2012
Both of my girls loved this.
July 3, 2013
Very fun, with little side jokes for adult readers. Makes me want to give it as a gift with a little toy train or car.
May 26, 2014
Notes:
kept comparing to Richard Scarry's cars/trucks book
for kids who can read
visual overwhelm on every page
too cartoony
kept comparing to Richard Scarry's cars/trucks book
for kids who can read
visual overwhelm on every page
too cartoony
December 8, 2015
Very educational but the illustrations were so busy that we got tired of reading it half way through and gave up
December 21, 2015
Very educational but the illustrations were so busy that we got tired of reading it half way through and gave up
July 9, 2015
My son just obsessed with this book
September 3, 2015
Very educational but the illustrations were so busy that we got tired of reading it half way through and gave up
November 19, 2015
4* art
3* story
As with the others in this series - colourful, interesting, tons to look at and ask questions about.
3* story
As with the others in this series - colourful, interesting, tons to look at and ask questions about.
January 31, 2016
Nice illustrations. Lots going on.
June 30, 2016
Brennan favorite
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews