Vroomaloom Zoom [Hardcover]

John Coy (Author), Joe Cepeda (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2000 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

One August night, cake-bake hot, Carmela can’t get to sleep. So she and Daddy get into their car for a little drive. Vroomaloom zoom vrroom vrroom! They take a fantasy ride past farms (cackle lackle), through woods (whoo whoo), to the sea (splash dash wave crash). “Are you ready for sleep?” asks Daddy. “Not yet. Keep driving,” says Carmela. So on they go by swamps, over streams, around waterfalls, forward, backward, sideways, and around in circles. Finally, Carmela’s eyes close. She must be ready to sleep. “Not yet, Daddy. Keep driving.” Vroomaloom zoomaloom vrroom vrroom. With its inventive use of language and irresistible refrain, this send-up of a familiar family problem will tickle the fancies of parents and children.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

CarmelaAwho has a "car" in her nameAlikes to be lulled by a revving motor. Wearing fuzzy slippers and carrying a sleepy-eyed owl doll, she skips out to a Beetle-round automobile. Her dad, in aviator goggles and gloves, brings the keys. " 'It's late,' Dad says as they drive out of town. 'Ready for sleep?' 'Not yet, Daddy. Keep driving.' " The two ride across mountains and past waterfalls, with sound effects to match the impressive scenery: "through woods/ whoo whoo/ in cities/ pell mell bell yell/ all the way to the sea/ splash dash wave crash." Carmela keeps her eyes open as long as she can, always telling her father, "Keep driving." Coy (Night Driving) uses onomatopoeia on every page: the "wurgle lurgle" of a swamp may be more effective than the airy "swoosh awoosh" of the car rushing forward, but much of the fun is figuring out how to make the various sounds. Cepeda (Nappy Hair) composes abstract American landscapes in vast, flat planes of warm color, underpainted in bright complementary hues of fuchsia and lavender. Broad swoops of orange sunset make a mellow backdrop, and the daffodil-yellow car bounces merrily along on its offroad adventures, with Carmela gazing out the back window and her smiling dad facing front. This bedtime story takes its participants far afield without even leaving the driveway. Ages 6-8. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-In this delightful story, Coy treats readers to a variety of descriptive rhyming lines as a father and daughter go for a ride in their big yellow car on a hot August night. They drive through woods-"whoo whoo." They go all the way to the sea-"splash dash wave crash." Still, the child isn't sleepy, so they travel through the swamp-"wurgle lurgle." The large, brightly colored pictures are so vivid that they almost glow, emphasizing the upbeat mood and enjoyable time Carmela and her dad are sharing. Funny details abound in the art, adding moments of humor not addressed in the narrative. The rhythmic, repetitive text and the vibrant pictures against colorful pages make this story a perfect read-aloud. Children will love this African-American duo as they make their journey to nowhere.
Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (October 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517800098
• ISBN-13: 978-0517800096
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,321,705 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi, I'm the author of the picture books Night Driving, Strong to the Hoop, Vroomaloom Zoom, Two Old Potatoes and Me, and Around the World. Strong to the Hoop is also available in Spanish as Directo Al Aro and Two Old Potatoes and Me is available in Chinese.

I am a member of the NBA Reading All-Star Team as part of the Read to Achieve program. Crackback, my first young adult novel, is about high school football and my second, Box Out, is about high school basketball.

I am working on a middle-grade series and the first two books, Top of the Order and Eyes on the Goal, are now out. Love of the Game, the third book will be published in October of 2011. I live in Minneapolis and visit schools nationally and internationally.

Check out www.johncoy.com for more information, and yes, it's fine to use the material for author studies.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally, an excuse to practice car noises, January 2, 2001

By 

Bill McAuliffe (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vroomaloom Zoom (Hardcover)

Young children just tumbling to the delights of language, and parents who know the struggles of trying to get children to sleep, ought to enjoy John Coy's ``Vroomaloom Zoom.'' This short, colorful reader involves Carmela, a young girl, and her father who set out for a fanciful drive in the car. Dad wears a leather cap and goggles and urges his daughter to bring along her blanket in case she falls asleep. As they drive past chicken farms, to the sea and through alligator-infested swamps, rhyming all the way, Dad can never quite Carmela to drop off to sleep. Even so, this ought to be a good bedtime read -- one that parents and kids can read together and aloud. The language begs to be spoken and the illustrations are colorful and fun.

3.0 out of 5 stars The usual thing, January 21, 2011

By 

M. Heiss (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vroomaloom Zoom (Paperback)

I get so excited about books like this - where the parent and the child have so much fun together. Best of all, it's a DAD in this book - dads are so important.

But we have so MANY books where the words are rhythmic - "Vroomaloom Zoom - cackle lackle - splash dash wave crash" - it just doesn't seem special anymore.

Anyway, this is a fun sleepytime book about a girl and her daddy, with excellent illustrations

3.0 out of 5 stars Silly Noises to Make Your Child Smile, September 21, 2005

By 

Lissa Johnston - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vroomaloom Zoom (Paperback)

If you have ever read to a child, you know how much they love silly stuff. The sillier, the better! The author puts his imagination to work, coming up with silly non-words to give the reader a pronunciation workout and the listener a laugh. Giggles are guaranteed. The illustrations are lovely, with note-quite-bold colors and broadly drawn scenes as a father takes his daughter on a nighttime ride to try to help her fall asleep.