If I Could Drive, Mama

by Cari Best, Simone Shin (Illustrator)

Overview

When Charlie turns a plain cardboard box into a zippy new car, he can’t wait for Mama to have the first ride. He adjusts the mirror, checks to be sure there is enough gas, and reminds Mama to buckle up. Then off they go—REV REV VROOM! There are places to visit and bumps along the way. There is even a traffic jam! By the time they return home, Mama is exhausted, but Charlie can’t wait for her nap to be over so he can drive her someplace else.
A Margaret Ferguson Book

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466896642
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	11/22/2016
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	71 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

Cari Best is the author of Three Cheers for Catherine the Great! She grew up in New York City and lives in Weston, Connecticut.

Simone Shin is an editorial and children’s book illustrator. She graduated from Boston University and Art Center college of design. Her work can be seen in publications such as the New York Times, Wired and Real Simple Magazine, and she is the illustrator of several (published and upcoming) picture books. She lives and works in her Bay Area-based studio, and teaches at an art school for children.

Editorial Reviews

10/03/2016
Inviting Mama to take a spin in his cardboard box car (“the zippiest car in the whole world!”), young Charlie takes firm control of both the driver’s seat and the role of narrator. As Charlie and Mama make stops around their house, mimicking familiar mom-and-kid errands (the library, the diner, the nail parlor), his exuberant running commentary reflects a wealth of observations gleaned as a backseat passenger and Mama’s sidekick. “Back in the car we sing ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ because it’s our favorite traveling song,” writes Best (My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay). “But only you do the motions since both my hands have to be on the steering wheel.” Shin’s (The Red Bicycle) light-as-soufflé vignettes reveal that Mama is game for anything, even letting Charlie apply nail polish at the “Pretty Please” salon (aka the bathroom). Readers may wonder how the car survives a sprinkler shower and a scrub down without falling apart, but otherwise this is a wonderful tribute to an imagination in perpetual motion. Ages 4–6. Illustrator’s agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

The softly colored illustrations show the gleeful mother-son pair exploring every inch of the house in the cardboard car. The comfortable home and its familiar furnishings are transformed by Charlie's conversations into a setting for modest adventures that mimic adult behaviors.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Inviting Mama to take a spin in his cardboard box car (“the zippiest car in the whole world!”), young Charlie takes firm control of both the driver’s seat and the role of narrator. As Charlie and Mama make stops around their house, mimicking familiar mom-and-kid errands (the library, the diner, the nail parlor), his exuberant running commentary reflects a wealth of observations gleaned as a backseat passenger and Mama’s sidekick. . .a wonderful tribute to an imagination in perpetual motion.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2016-08-17
When a cardboard box becomes an imaginary car, Charlie takes Mama to see the town. Role-playing takes the front seat when Mama is Charlie’s first passenger. “Buckle up, Mama!” he says, and she obeys every word. With a wide smile, this little white boy with pink cheeks tours the house with his mother, both pretending it is the town. The bookshelf becomes the library, the closet becomes Daisy’s Dress Shop, and the kitchen table serves as Charlie’s Diner. The toddler’s narration gives a precise script for each particular stop: “I say ‘I can’t wait to see the new books.’ And you say, ‘I’m going to take home three!’ ” The softly colored illustrations show the gleeful mother-son pair exploring every inch of the house in the cardboard car. The comfortable home and its familiar furnishings are transformed by Charlie’s conversations into a setting for modest adventures that mimic adult behaviors. There are no dragons or hot lava, but rather more realistic role-playing, with flat tires and parking spaces. The rarest plaything of all seems to be Mama, who selflessly acts all day in Charlie’s imaginary world to the point of exhaustion. Although Charlie seems to be calling all the shots, this is a positive nod to creative make-believe. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews