The Other Side of Town
A New York City taxi driver is bemoaning his bad day when a funny little mustachioed man in a sea-green bodysuit (adorned with a cotton candy–pink curlicue crest) hops in and instructs the driver to take him to “the other side of town.” A little pink remote control opens a secret tunnel that reveals a Seussian maze of roadways leading to an alternate, green-and-pink universe where traffic slows at mush hour and the Spankees play baseball. The cabbie delivers his passenger and, with the help of the remote, eventually makes it home again, only to find his family bedecked in the finery of the other side of town (his wife dons an “I heart TOSOT” apron). Agee’s trademark large, simple pencil sketches evoke both the familiar NYC business and the unfamiliar silliness of the titular destination. Even the cover plays a role in the backwards bedlam, with a wordless front and the title on the back. The large trim size, silly subject matter, and expressive drawings make this a clear, albeit quirky, read-aloud choice. Grades K-2. --Thom Barthelmess