Zoom! Zoom!: Sounds of Things that Go in the City

PreS-Gr 1—Vehicles, buildings, streets, and people abound in this picture book about the noises heard during the course of a city day. The personified metropolis starts out in darkness, and sleeping cars and a cat are showcased in the opening pages. The cars' eyes open, and a person sitting outside a café yawns as a smiling sun peeks over the skyline. A series of rhyming verses detail the day's hubbub, while the city's sounds appear in large block letters across each spread. Other occasions that are presented include lunch time, school dismissal, fun time, dinner, party time, and bedtime. The couplets don't always advance the events in an understandable, rhythmic way ("Bus comes rocking./Whoops. Jump./Squeeze inside./Sit down. Bump-bump."), nor are the city noises necessarily sounds, as when work trucks are accompanied by "Dart! Dash! Dart-dive-dash!" Busy pages and a lack of continuity in the central concept of city sounds may prove challenging for storytime read-alouds, but the digital cartoon illustrations done in primary colors will appeal to young children who love to pore over transportation books.—Julie R. Ranelli, Queen Anne's County Free Library, Stevensville, MD