Customer Reviews

Let's Cruise! (Friendship Box, 4 board books in a box) (Cars movie tie in)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My two year old who's favorite show is Cars loves these books. They are very simple books that each tell a watered down portion of the story. Each book is from a different character's POV from the movie; Lightning, Mater, Sally, and Doc.

The books are very sturdy which is great for when one of my children decides to get rough with them. The little case they come in is cute and while my boy likes carrying it around, it's made of a much thinner cardboard and I can tell it won't last very long.

All in all, I'm very happy with this product.

To have it all and realize that it is still not enough is the lesson offered by "Lightning McQueen," Frank Berrios's take on William Blake's famous maxim: "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom." At first, it's tempting to brush off this work as yet another picaresque morality tale, but to do so would be to deprive oneself of a truly transcendental reading experience.

The tale is told in retrospect, as McQueen looks back upon his life addicted to speed. McQueen is a racecar, you see, a young fool whose heart is set solely on winning the race, any race, anywhere, at any cost. Berrios's prose leads us to envision the late night excesses of the young car, tasting the fruits of fame and riches, guzzling oil by the barrel, burning rubber on nameless, abandoned parking lots, constantly proving himself against some nameless foe.

"I used to think racing was everything," says McQueen, as he cuts a swath of devastation in his wake during one particular race. What is it that motivates him? What is it that causes this self-destructive behavior? In his genius, Berrios never reveals it. Instead, we are left to ponder the internal machinations of a tortured soul who can find no other light in his life than the glare of the winner's podium and all the accoutrements it engenders.

It is not until he arrives in Radiator Springs that perspective is gained and he begins to take stock of the decisions he's made and where those decisions have taken him. "I made new friends [in Radiator Springs]," McQueen admits, and we believe him. The grandeur and beauty of the landscape and a special bond formed with a nameless female car who lives in the town causes McQueen to rethink everything about his former lifestyle.

"I still like winning," McQueen tells us in the book's final page, "but I also love going for a drive with my friends!" Berrios wants us to believe that through balance, success is attainable, that one can discover a winning formula without an extra edge. Ultimately, the admission seems too neat and trite in a work of such pulsating introspection. As readers, we are left wanting. But it's a minor stumble for Berrios in a work of exquisite prose, and after all of the tribulations and redemptions that he has guided us through from the opening scene, perhaps we can forgive him.

Through the eyes of a simple racecar, Berrios examines the drama of choice, the rearrangement of values and how the bonds of friendship can leave an impression that can change a life's course. It is his strongest work to date, a tour-de-force of devastating literary consequence.

My 2 1/2 yr old son loves the Car movie, the characters and LOVES this book set. He has just as much fun taking the books in & out of the box as he does reading them. He practically has the books memorized to read to himself. The box is holding up surprisingly well considering that he carries it a lot of places & often to the grocery store!

My son loves them. He carries them around in the little case they come in. Great gift idea.

We've had these books for over a year - they've been thrown, stood on, chewed on, etc... they are a little worn, but have not broken down - we still read them often!

I bought this book set for my 2 yr old son. He really enjoys having these books read to him. He also likes the bright illustrations. Some reviewers have stated that these books are a "watered down" version of the movie and they are. However, they are the perfect length for keeping toddlers interested. My son has only watched some of the movie so he doesn't really care that the books aren't more detailed. I like that the main idea of the story is told from rhe different points of view.

These are not too long and not too short. Good for 2-3 age range.

Keeps my 4 month old entertained with all the wonderful colors and I don't have to worry about him grabbing a page and ripping it while we are reading. Being from Georgia the whole family loves the book about Mater :)

My two year old loves the books and we read them every night before bed. They definitely are for the younger readers.

My son loves the books! the box they come in is a little flimsy so I just had to hide it from my two year old so he wouldn't reuin it.