A Mighty Fine Time Machine

PreS-Gr 1Samantha, an anteater, is biking by with a wagon-load of books when she sees her friends Grant, an aardvark, and Antoine, an armadillo, standing by a huge packing crate. They are convinced that it can be turned into a time machine. They add various "hoozie-doozies," Grant sets the dials to another time and place, and Antoine makes blast-off sounds, but the machine stays put. After they make some adjustments, the rickety rocket rolls down a hill and topples over. Tired and bored, the boys settle down to read Sam's books and give up the project. Sam takes over and makes some of her own improvements, and-voilà!-she turns the box into the best do-it-yourself bookmobile imaginable. And, as proven by the other friends who come by to check out books, it's a success. Any child who has ever built a blanket fort or played inside a box should be able to relate to these anthropomorphic animals. The gouache and colored-pencil illustrations of the gadgets and gizmos attached to the crate add humot, and there is a lot of white space for the large, clear text. Though not essential, this is a fun selection."Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT" Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"A splendid use for a box, indeed." —Kirkus Reviews

"The language is replete with words such as 'hoozie-doozies, ' and 'doodads.' It rolls off the tongue with occasional poetic segments such as 'Flippers flapped. Wings whapped.' The unusual characters' devotion to each other and their project is an asset to the book." —Library Media Connection

"Children who have ever created anything out of a box will identify with the trio's ingenuity. The colored pencil-and-gouache illustrations add warmth and humor to the story." —Booklist