Race!

by Sue Fliess, Edwardian Taylor (Illustrations)

In this imaginative book, a tiny car lines up next to all the other cars revving their engines. . . . Will it be able to take the Winner's Cup?

Race cars!
Line up!
Who will take the Winner's Cup?

Cars start,
lights glow...
"Rev your engines...GO GO GO!"

All the cars are lining up for the race, but one car is smaller than the rest. As it squeezes in between all of them, the cars rev their engines . . . and they're off! Down mountains and by waterfalls, through tunnels and past landslides, the cars race through places that somehow look oddly familiar. . . .

Genres: Picture Books, Cars, Childrens, Storytime, Racing, Plays, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

Published July 4, 2017

About the author

Sue Fliess ("fleece") is the bestselling author of Robots, Robots Everywhere!, I'm a Ballerina! and How to Trap a Leprechaun, and more than 35 other children's books including Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket, Mrs. Claus Takes the Reins, Mary Had a Little Lab, Beatrice Bly's Rules for Spies, and many Little Golden Books. Her books have sold over 850,000 copies worldwide. Her background is in copywriting and PR/marketing, and her essays have appeared in O Magazine, HuffPo, Writer's Digest, and more. Fliess has also written for Walt Disney.

Her books have received honors from the SCBWI, have been used in school curricula, museum educational programs, and have even been translated into multiple languages. The Bug Book was chosen for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library three years in a row and The Hug Book was selected to the Imagination Library Australia.

She's a member of SCBWI, Children's Book Guild of DC, and the Author's Guild. She does book signings, school visits, and speaking engagements.

When she's not writing, she is walking her two silly English Labradors or busy with her two teen boys. She really misses traveling. Sue lives in Northern VA with her family. Visit her at www.suefliess.com.

Reviews

[Ronan Crutchfield]

I thought this was VERY exciting! I waved my arms and squealed and tried to wiggle right out of mom’s lap, that’s how exciting the book was

[Jason Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

RACE! Is a book about a bunch of cars racing around a track and there is a small car trying his best to win the race. After racing as best as he can the small car eventually finishes in first and we find out the whole thing was being raced by a kid called Maxwell who loves his racing toys. The book itself is written in rhyme throughout the entire book. I wasn’t expecting that but found that it made for a nice change from traditional book writing. The illustrations are bold and beautiful and contain plenty of double page full bleeds, one thing that stands out is he scale used in the illustrations. I didn’t realize until I saw the end of the book, but throughout the story the scale of the cars is oversized compared to the track which foreshadows that the cars are being raced by a person and not just on their own. I really enjoyed this book and appreciate the small details like finding out the cars were being raced by a person and especially looking back and realizing the illustrator was foreshadowing that the entire time with the scale of the cars. This was a great book and I think it could work tell as a rhyming activity in a classroom setting teaching kids rhyming skills in a fun way.

[BlackhamBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminiscent of Disney's CARS, this showcases anthropomorphic cars, ready to race. Brightly colored illustrations, chonky text in various sizes... the little rhymes add pattern and pace and interest to the simple words. Quite a bit of onomatopoeia too (zoom, vroom, skid, screech, roar, bonk, conk, honk). On a page close to the end there was the line "Maxwell ... time for snack" um, what? Am I missing something? Then the next page, a huge hand grabbing our little car winner, and the page after, again "Maaaxwell ..." and it's revealed the whole set up (cars/racetrack) is all a toy run by a little boy, Maxwell. Quite fun to look back at the illustrations, seeing it in the end, all as a toy set, then realizing it was that all along (oversized items, but more from the perspective of the cars).

The book shape is a little longer than it is high.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the race cars line up for a try at the coveted Winner’s Cup, a tiny red car squeezes in at the last minute. “Cars start, / lights glow . . . / “Rev your engines . . . / GO GO GO!” On a course filled with obstacles galore, the cars “SKID! SCREECH! SLIP! SQUEAL! SOAR!” After a fender bender temporarily brings the action to a stop, the red car takes a shortcut through the grass to jump into the lead, and the story makes an unexpected turn of its own. This is the point at which discerning readers will want to take a close look at the illustrations for clues about where the story takes place and who is really in charge of the race. Whether young children are listening to this action-filled book or reading it on their own, they are bound to have a roaring good time.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lively rhyming picture book about a little race car racing against a pack of larger vehicles over a rough and tumble track. Attentive readers will notice details like the waterfalls is really a birdbath. It's a hard fought race and little race car is doing well despite the odds until a voice is heard calling "Maaaxwellll…" to come inside. A high energy picture book that little vehicle fans will identify with and clamor to read again.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

We see cars racing through a backyard obstacle course. Later, we realize that Maxwell has been coordinating the whole thing.

Rhyming text and a chance to root for small car!

Lots of imagination to make a road race from a sandbox, a wading pool, and other backyard things.

[Casandria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imaginative car racing book

[Shandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great "action" rhymes as the cars race around a back yard... definitely holding on to this one for a storytime!

[Juliana Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maxwell has a rolicking rhyming race with his toy cars.

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, short option for storytime. Definitely lots of sounds and exciting art to keep kids interested. Very fun ending for the adults.

[Kelly Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and quick rhyme -- great for the matchbox car loving kid.

[Christine Connelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable book! Very clever! The kids loved it!

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little car in vying for the win in a race around an extraordinary track. Turns out it's the backyard and a little boys imagination that makes this race so exciting!

Illustrations are really fun.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with K students today and they loved it; many extensions possible.

[Jennifer Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute

[Darinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun picture book about racing cars. Rhyming text. Colorful artwork. Lovely ending.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maxwell has a favorite car and imagines a race in which the little vehicle beats all the others.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this one! Great for toddlers

[Sushie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Age: Preschool+
Plot: A race through a cartoon landscape following small car
Themes: Do your best, sports for fun
Length: Medium
Wordiness: Medium, rhymes

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute book about a backyard car race. I love seeing imagination in action. Fun book for action paced toddlers.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book for kids who love playing with race cars, and setting up race tracks for their toy cars.

[Benny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Benny: 4 stars
Mom: 3 stars

Race cars, line up!

It wasn't the worst book about racing, and the discovery bit about the kid driving his toy cars at the end was cute.

[The Unschoolers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple and cute - 2.5 yo really enjoyed! Lots of good descriptive sounds to read

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good rhyming, would make a decent read-aloud for 2-3 year olds. Not a hug fan of the illustrations.

[Miss Janis the Storytime Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. With an enthusiastic group, there are plenty of sounds and actions to make

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1...

I love the onomatopoeias in this story! It mixed with the rhythm of the text, the fun illustrations, and the suspense of the race make the story a perfect read aloud. Along the way, readers can predict what they think can happen next, and try to predict the surprise ending (yes, there is a surprise ending!).

[MaryLibrarianOH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read aloud if you can do sound effects.

From advanced reader copy.

[Christine Turner]

In this imaginative book, a tiny car lines up next to all the other cars revving their engines. . . . Will it be able to take the Winner's Cup?

Race cars!
Line up!
Who will take the Winner's Cup?

Cars start,
lights glow...
"Rev your engines...GO GO GO!"

All the cars are lining up for the race, but one car is smaller than the rest. As it squeezes in between all of them, the cars rev their engines . . . and they're off! Down mountains and by waterfalls, through tunnels and past landslides, the cars race through places that somehow look oddly familiar. . . .


Notes
Sue Fliess is the author of numerous children's books, including A Fairy Friend , From Here to There, Tons of Trucks , Shoes for Me! , Robots, Robots Everywhere! , and The Hug Book . She lives in Northern Virginia with her family and an English Labrador named Charlie. When she's not writing, you can find her racing her kids across town. Find out more about Sue at suefliess.com.

Edwardian Taylor always loved to draw, so much so that his parents had to hide his crayons because he would draw all over his bedroom walls when he ran out of paper! He got familiar with the uses of cleaning supplies at an early age, but this never kept him from drawing. While being a workaholic and overachiever, Edward enjoys reading massive amounts of X-Men comic books along with drinking massive amounts of coffee. He lives in Dallas, Texas.