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PRESCHOOL
Ringler, Matt

Strollercoaster

32 pp. | Little | June, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-0-316-49322-2 $17.99
(1) PS Illustrated by Raúl the Third & Elaine Bay. Preschooler Sam needs a nap. "The inside feels too small" for her, and she throws a tantrum. There's only one solution: her father swings her up into the air and declares, "It's time to take a ride on the strollercoaster!" Off they zip on a thrilling adventure--up and down the steep roads, bridges, and sidewalks of their neighborhood ("Sam feels like she's flying!!")--the girl nestled snugly in her stroller. The dynamic, remarkably kinetic illustrations feature occasional comic book–style panels; speech balloons; bouncy, rollercoaster-esque onomatopoeia ("click clack"; "squeak"); some hand-drawn, oversized fonts; and a heaping dose of visual hyperbole. At one point, for instance, father and daughter zoom up the side of a brick wall. The vivid colors--starting with the fiery oranges and reds of Sam's angry mood­--­perfectly convey emotional ­subtext. Spreads are filled with ­eye-catching details that reflect the pair's bilingual community: "TIRED?" reads the side of a building, with "ESTOY CANSADA" under it. After flying through a tunnel on a striking black double-page spread colored in ­glowing lines, Sam succumbs to sleep--and then both father and daughter end up napping back at home. Preschoolers will identify with Sam's initial over-exhaustion and may find catharsis in her true-to-life display of anger. An exhilarating trip that viewers will want to take repeatedly.
Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

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