Rattletrap Car [Paperback]

Phyllis Root (Author), Jill Barton (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2004 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

"A picture book that passes the fun test with flying fizz." — BOOKLIST

It’s hot. Hot, hot, hot! So Junie and Jake and Poppa and the baby want to go to the lake. But can they make it there in their rattletrap car? It doesn’t go fast, and it doesn’t go far — but with the help of some razzleberry dazzleberry snazzleberry fizz, a beach ball, a surfboard, and a three-speed, wind-up, paddle-wheel boat, they’re off to the lake where it’s cool, cool, cool! Phyllis Root’s wonderfully inventive wordplay and Jill Barton’s spirited, expressive illustrations make this a read-aloud road trip to remember.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Will the family's rapidly deteriorating jalopy survive the ride to the lake? Junie, Jakie, the baby and Poppa are so set on a swim to cool off that they're determined their rattletrap car won't disappoint them. Each time the car breaks down which Root evokes with a rousing and ever-growing chorus of onomatopoeia a family member improvises a solution, making ingenious use of a beach toy and car snacks. When the floorboard falls off with a "Whumpety Whomp!," Jakie "put his surf board on the car and he stuck it on tight with chocolate marshmallow fudge delight." Not only does the family make it to the lake, but they make it back home again as well, with a refrain of "flippita fluppita/ fizzelly sizzelly/ wappity bappity/ lumpety bumpety/ clinkety clankety/ bing bang pop!" As in their What Baby Wants, Root and Barton prove that they know how to convey mounting comic mayhem. Root builds her narrative house of cards with plenty of rhythmic repetition and nonsense words, while Barton's sunny, high-spirited watercolors demonstrate that, with a sense of humor, it is possible to move the world or at least a broken-down Tin Lizzie. Ages 4-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-On a hot summer day, Junie and Jakie suggested a trip to the lake. Poppa worries about whether or not their old car will make it ("It doesn't go fast and it doesn't go far"), but the family decides to give it a try. They haven't gone far when "boomsssssssss. The tire went flat." Junie knows what to do-she puts her beach ball in the place of the wheel, sticking it on tight with chocolate marshmallow fudge delight. Then, "whumpety whomp!"-the floor falls off. This time, Jakie knows just what to do. A series of other near-disasters follows, each finding a silly remedy with an item that had been packed for the outing, and they make it to the lake. Cumulative stories are most successful when they have a little twist or surprise at the end, and there isn't one here, but the bouncy, creative language more than makes up for that lack. The internal rhymes, alliteration, and creative car sounds make a perfect read-aloud. The watercolor illustrations are full of action as the rattletrap car bounces off the road and seems to rush off the page. The words for the car sounds bounce, too, in their larger, uneven fonts. The illustrations contribute humorous detail capturing the family's alternating despair, inventiveness, and glee at moving again.

Adele Greenlee, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (April 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763620076
• ISBN-13: 978-0763620073
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 0.2 x 10.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Phyllis Root has written many award-winning books for children, including TEN SLEEPY SHEEP, OLIVER FINDS HIS WAY, ONE DUCK STUCK, WHAT BABY WANTS, RATTLETRAP CAR, and BIG MOMMA MAKES THE WORLD, winner of the BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Award.