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Rattletrap Car
"A picture book that passes the fun test with flying fizz." — Booklist
It’s hot. Hot, hot, hot! So Junie and Jake and Poppa and the baby want to go to the lake. But can they make it there in their rattletrap car? It doesn’t go fast, and it doesn’t go far — but with the help of some razzleberry dazzleberry snazzleberry fizz, a beach ball, a surfboard, and a three-speed, wind-up, paddle-wheel boat, they’re off to the lake where it’s cool, cool, cool! Phyllis Root’s wonderfully inventive wordplay and Jill Barton’s spirited, expressive illustrations make this a read-aloud road trip to remember.
It’s hot. Hot, hot, hot! So Junie and Jake and Poppa and the baby want to go to the lake. But can they make it there in their rattletrap car? It doesn’t go fast, and it doesn’t go far — but with the help of some razzleberry dazzleberry snazzleberry fizz, a beach ball, a surfboard, and a three-speed, wind-up, paddle-wheel boat, they’re off to the lake where it’s cool, cool, cool! Phyllis Root’s wonderfully inventive wordplay and Jill Barton’s spirited, expressive illustrations make this a read-aloud road trip to remember.
40 pages, Paperback
First published April 10, 2001
1 person is currently reading
199 people want to read
About the author
Phyllis Root
107 books71 followers"Picture books are performances," says Phyllis Root, quoting some sage advice she once received. "They're performances that involve a child--something both of you do. And once I started thinking of them that way, I started getting much looser about making up words and playing around with rhythm."
Phyllis Root picked up an early affinity for colloquial language while growing up in Indiana and southern Illinois, "where people actually say things like, 'I got a hitch in my git-along'!" She decided to be a writer in the fifth grade, but it wasn't until she was thirty years old that she took a writing course with an influential teacher who gave her "the tools" she says she needed. "That's when I figured out that you could learn to be a writer," she says. What followed was a series of rollicking stories that take on a new life when read aloud, among them ONE DUCK STUCK, a one-of-a-kind counting book; KISS THE COW!, an affectionate salute to stubbornness; WHAT BABY WANTS, a tale of increasingly ridiculous efforts to quiet an infant that one reviewer compared to an episode of I LOVE LUCY, and LOOKING FOR A MOOSE, a buoyant tale with a final surprise discovery.
The author does "endless rewriting" before a book is finished, but often starts out by writing her stories in her head, a trick she learned as a time-pressed mother when her two daughters were very young. For example, RATTLETRAP CAR--a joyful celebration of perseverance--began with her playing around with sounds ("clinkety clankety, bing bang pop!") and calling up bits of old camp songs.
A master of rhythmic read-alouds, Phyllis Root exhibits a range many writers would envy. Her counting book TEN SLEEPY SHEEP is as serene and lulling as ONE DUCK STUCK is rambunctious. "Counting sheep isn't always easy," she notes. "Once, while we were farm-sitting, my daughter and I had to chase down two runaway lambs in the growing darkness, then count twenty-seven frisky lambs to make sure they were all safe for the night. Luckily, they were." OLIVER FINDS HIS WAY is a quiet, classic picture book about a defining moment in the life of a small child--getting lost and having the pluck to find the way home. On the other extreme, Phyllis Root takes on no less than the whole universe in BIG MOMMA MAKES THE WORLD, a powerful, original, down-home creation myth that received rave reviews and won the prestigious BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Award. Most recently, Phyllis Root penned LUCIA AND THE LIGHT, a timeless adventure about one brave girl's quest that was inspired by Nordic lore.
When she's not writing, Phyllis Root teaches at Vermont College's MFA in Writing for Children program. She lives with her two daughters and two cats in a 100-year-old house in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and loves to read (mostly mysteries with female protagonists) or spend time outdoors gardening, camping, sailing, or traveling. "One of the things I've learned about myself," she confides, "is that when I get really stuck and can't seem to get writing, it's because I've forgotten to take time out to play."
Phyllis Root picked up an early affinity for colloquial language while growing up in Indiana and southern Illinois, "where people actually say things like, 'I got a hitch in my git-along'!" She decided to be a writer in the fifth grade, but it wasn't until she was thirty years old that she took a writing course with an influential teacher who gave her "the tools" she says she needed. "That's when I figured out that you could learn to be a writer," she says. What followed was a series of rollicking stories that take on a new life when read aloud, among them ONE DUCK STUCK, a one-of-a-kind counting book; KISS THE COW!, an affectionate salute to stubbornness; WHAT BABY WANTS, a tale of increasingly ridiculous efforts to quiet an infant that one reviewer compared to an episode of I LOVE LUCY, and LOOKING FOR A MOOSE, a buoyant tale with a final surprise discovery.
The author does "endless rewriting" before a book is finished, but often starts out by writing her stories in her head, a trick she learned as a time-pressed mother when her two daughters were very young. For example, RATTLETRAP CAR--a joyful celebration of perseverance--began with her playing around with sounds ("clinkety clankety, bing bang pop!") and calling up bits of old camp songs.
A master of rhythmic read-alouds, Phyllis Root exhibits a range many writers would envy. Her counting book TEN SLEEPY SHEEP is as serene and lulling as ONE DUCK STUCK is rambunctious. "Counting sheep isn't always easy," she notes. "Once, while we were farm-sitting, my daughter and I had to chase down two runaway lambs in the growing darkness, then count twenty-seven frisky lambs to make sure they were all safe for the night. Luckily, they were." OLIVER FINDS HIS WAY is a quiet, classic picture book about a defining moment in the life of a small child--getting lost and having the pluck to find the way home. On the other extreme, Phyllis Root takes on no less than the whole universe in BIG MOMMA MAKES THE WORLD, a powerful, original, down-home creation myth that received rave reviews and won the prestigious BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Award. Most recently, Phyllis Root penned LUCIA AND THE LIGHT, a timeless adventure about one brave girl's quest that was inspired by Nordic lore.
When she's not writing, Phyllis Root teaches at Vermont College's MFA in Writing for Children program. She lives with her two daughters and two cats in a 100-year-old house in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and loves to read (mostly mysteries with female protagonists) or spend time outdoors gardening, camping, sailing, or traveling. "One of the things I've learned about myself," she confides, "is that when I get really stuck and can't seem to get writing, it's because I've forgotten to take time out to play."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
April 30, 2018
Whenever we pick up a childrens book what do we want to see? Great pictures? Excellent detail? Great word choice?
Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Nook was a great book for children from preschool to the second grade. The beggining was a little edgy and i did not find what i wanted to find in the beggining of a book such as an introduction, and character introduction that lacked... The book just started like this...
"Junie was hot.
Jakie was hot.
Even the baby was hot, hot, hot."
There was no setting and that bugged me...
The story overall gets a two star rateing from me but the pictures were amazing Jill Barton did an incredible job with her artwork and deserves full admiration...... It was the pictures that told the story and showed the setting and explained the characters not the story itself.
I cannot rate the this book with five stars so i give the pictures two stars even though they deserve more.
This book did make me smile and taught about teamwork therefore i am not dissapointed to rate it with four stars...
My Rateing 4/5
Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Nook was a great book for children from preschool to the second grade. The beggining was a little edgy and i did not find what i wanted to find in the beggining of a book such as an introduction, and character introduction that lacked... The book just started like this...
"Junie was hot.
Jakie was hot.
Even the baby was hot, hot, hot."
There was no setting and that bugged me...
The story overall gets a two star rateing from me but the pictures were amazing Jill Barton did an incredible job with her artwork and deserves full admiration...... It was the pictures that told the story and showed the setting and explained the characters not the story itself.
I cannot rate the this book with five stars so i give the pictures two stars even though they deserve more.
This book did make me smile and taught about teamwork therefore i am not dissapointed to rate it with four stars...
My Rateing 4/5
June 13, 2012
It’s hot, hot, hot and Junie, Jakie and the baby convince Poppa to take them to the beach in their rattletrap car. They pack the car with beach toys, a thermos of razzleberry dazzleberry snazzleberry fizz and some chocolate marshmallow fudge delight. They pile in the car and Poppa starts off with a “brum brum, brum brum.” But, the rattletrap car keeps breaking down. Fortunately, the family creatively uses the items they’ve packed in the car; the beach ball to replaces the flat tire, the thermos of berry fizz to replaces the gas tank, and more. Finally, the rattletrap car makes it to the lake with a “bing bang pop!”
The rhyming text of this jaunty book just begs to be read a loud. Each time the family fixes the car and starts it back up another set of noises is added to the “brum brum, brum brum” of the rattletrap car. Barton supports Root’s whimsical world, where toy boats can replace car engines, with bright watercolor illustrations. The family lives on a farm and drives through beautiful countryside on their way to the cool and refreshing lake.
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...
The rhyming text of this jaunty book just begs to be read a loud. Each time the family fixes the car and starts it back up another set of noises is added to the “brum brum, brum brum” of the rattletrap car. Barton supports Root’s whimsical world, where toy boats can replace car engines, with bright watercolor illustrations. The family lives on a farm and drives through beautiful countryside on their way to the cool and refreshing lake.
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...
January 22, 2024
Our letter of the week book. My daughter kept saying she didn’t want to read it, and then she immediately wanted a reread. Go figure. A cute story of a family day trip, some creative problem solving, and some very sticky fudge.
March 27, 2019
A fellow teacher recommended this book to me, and I thought it was so cute! It will make a great read aloud!
July 9, 2019
We love how it rhymes and the story is very entertaining. Love how they include chocolate marshmallow fudge delight
June 19, 2025
This was a fun book to read! I would walk around the house and keep repeating BING BANG POP
November 15, 2009
Okay, so this book is not really very realistic. You can't really replace wheels with beach balls or engines with toy boats.
But it's fun to pretend you can when reading :)
And anyway, this book is such a delight to read aloud that I don't suppose it matters about the family's unorthodox method of transport. I mean, try to say this out loud without grinning:
Poppa turned the key
brum, brum, brum, brum.
Flippita fluppita
fizzelly sizzelly
wappity bappity
lumpety bumpety
clinkety clankety
bing bang
POP!
You can't do it. You just can't. If you buy this only for the fun of reading a few of those lines aloud, it's money well spent.
But it's fun to pretend you can when reading :)
And anyway, this book is such a delight to read aloud that I don't suppose it matters about the family's unorthodox method of transport. I mean, try to say this out loud without grinning:
Poppa turned the key
brum, brum, brum, brum.
Flippita fluppita
fizzelly sizzelly
wappity bappity
lumpety bumpety
clinkety clankety
bing bang
POP!
You can't do it. You just can't. If you buy this only for the fun of reading a few of those lines aloud, it's money well spent.
September 27, 2008
"Junie was hot. Jakie was hot. Even the baby was hot, hot, hot". We've read this book a bazillion times but still LOVE IT!!!! My kids go nuts about it. If they even see it anywhere then we have to read it about 12 times in a row. It's a winner.
April 27, 2014
It is a pain to read over and over as the parent, but my daughter LOVED this book and wanted it read every time story time until it was due back at the library.
June 21, 2015
Best book ever! an old one but a good one. A classic read out loud book.
December 28, 2018
I hate this book personal, there are so many things odd about this book, but my two year olds laugh outloud and ask to read it everyday. There are nonsensical words, concepts and characters, but I suppose it like Dr. Seuss in that way? Just not as classic. Does teach problem solving, persistence, and creativity. Triple A could make bank creating a book like this with their car side superhero stuff. >.<
June 2, 2017
This book is great! It's funny, has creative solutions for the run-down rattletrap car, has great rhythm (meter) and the illustrations have just the right dose of silliness.
I loved how the baby only says "Go," and "Go" fits so perfectly with the story.
Will appeal to kids who love cars. Good for toddlers and preschoolers.
I loved how the baby only says "Go," and "Go" fits so perfectly with the story.
Will appeal to kids who love cars. Good for toddlers and preschoolers.
August 2, 2021
A hilarious book with fun sounds and words that made Elliot giggle every time we read it. A family is on their way to the lake on a hot day when the car keeps losing parts. No problem! The kids replace a flat tire, the floor of the car, and even a gas tank and engine, with the most unlikely of objects.
February 26, 2018
Great book for nursery time, preschoolers and kindergarten as you can make this book quite interactive with how the car goes bing bang pop and clicker clack.
#nurserytime #preschool #kindergarten #library
#nurserytime #preschool #kindergarten #library
April 12, 2018
Full of fun made-up words and car-centered disasters as the dad and 3 kids head to the lake on a hot summer day. The kids use what they have to solve the problems.
Parts rhyme and parts don't. Would be stronger if it was one way or another.
Parts rhyme and parts don't. Would be stronger if it was one way or another.
September 5, 2018
This is an adorable story of a daddy and his three young children who try to get to the lake on a hot summer day. The car keeps breaking down, but the family is clever and inventive. Fabulous illustrations.
January 29, 2019
After reading this book, I had it stuck in my head. The onomatopoeias used in it are catchy. They flow easily and the story's rhyme pattern is smooth. It's a fun tale about making the best out of the little accidents that happen in everyday life.
April 12, 2019
This book is absolutely hilarious. From the rhymes to the illustrations. This is a great book to read-aloud and really emphasize the different characters. I read this book in a southern accent to my 4-year-old, and he couldn't stop laughing. Great book for a "summer" theme.
May 1, 2020
Such a fun book! Everyone's hot - let's go to the lake! But that car... it's not very reliable. Will the family ever make it to the lake?! I'm looking forward to reading this in storytime this summer.
February 16, 2022
I couldn't get into the rhythm of it because it's written in prose, but then there are rhymes that became a distraction. The ways the characters solved each problem were funny, but it got to be too much after a few. Cute overall.
May 31, 2023
Really fun read! Enough repetition to get into a rhythm, but enough plot to keep the book moving. Illustrations are bright and colorful, and my 2yo daughter enjoyed pointing out objects she knew. The sound words are fun as well, and pull the reader into each little crisis the characters face.
July 10, 2017
This is a five star read as far as my four year old son is concerned and I agree with him. I've read it so many times and I still love reading it to him.
October 25, 2017
Great problem solving story
January 21, 2018
Joyous, ridiculous ride to the beach in a car held together with marshmallow sauce and children's toys. Sure to be a hit at read aloud time.
October 14, 2018
This book has wonderful language. It would be a great read aloud.
October 30, 2018
Loved this cute tale of a poppa and his kids trying to go to the beach in their rattletrap car. Fun rhythm and rhyme and creative problem solving that ends in a cool cool cool day at the lake.
December 26, 2018
One of my all-time favorites! My 3K class adores it too.
June 13, 2019
Fun for kids to listen to
March 22, 2020
This book is perfect for a read aloud book for younger grades. It has great sounds and repetition for them.
February 7, 2021
So much fun! Our daughter wanted us to read it so often that we all had it memorized.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews