Zoom beyond fairy tales with ‘Cars Galore’

How many years before you get your driver's license?

If you don't know, don't worry. The chances are that you have lots of cars in your collection anyhow. You probably have tiny cars that fit in your pocket and bigger trucks that can dump big loads of anything you put in them. You have fast cars, slow cars and some that are just really cool.

But in the new book "Cars Galore" by Peter Stein, illustrated by Bob Staake, you'll see a lot of cars that are nothing like the ones you have to play with.

Up and down the road, throughout the city and in the country, lots of different cars share the road. They come in all colors. They come in all sizes. They come in all shapes and personalities; some are nice and some are mean.

Just like your toy cars, some of the cars on the road are fast and some are slow. If you look hard, you'll see that a few cars kind of look like houses or big buildings. Some of them are really junky and need a good bath. And there are some cars on the road that are so teensy-tiny, they make you wonder how their drivers ever got inside!

Have you ever seen passengers inside a car that look like they're having a really good time? Or how about someone who's singing while they drive? Have you ever seen someone who's playing a musical instrument inside their car?

So what powers all these cars? Some plug in. Some take gasoline. There are ones that are "eco-friendly" and -- just maybe -- one that runs on something very unusual.

With millions of cars on the road, you can bet that it gets noisy with all that honking and beeping. It gets kind of wild, too, because some cars race and some cars chase.

And oh, those roads! There are flat roads and fat roads. Loop-de-loop roads and scooped roads, square ones and round ones and figure-eight ones.

So with all the cars to pick from, which one will you choose?

Have a kid with an ear for gear and a need for speed? "Cars Galore" will make him slow down and quietly idle while you read it aloud to him. And beware -- because he'll want that as often as possible.

With a catchy, jaunty little rhyme that's as enjoyable to read as it is to hear, Stein will roar into your little motorhead's imagination and take him on the road to a free-wheeling adventure.

Stein's words, though, just wouldn't be the same without the colorful, silly illustrations by Staake. Add words and pictures together, be sure you and your child pay attention to each individual car and its occupant, and you have the kind of book that your young car enthusiast will want along for every ride he takes.

If your 3- to 7-year-old has had enough fairy tale stuff, then help him switch gears with this cute book. For him (or her), "Cars Galore" is a vehicle to fun.

Terri Schlichenmeyer's children's book reviews appear weekly in View.