Planes At The Airport
Reviewed with Peter Mandel'sBoats on the River.PreS. Busy and bright, these larger-than-average board books whir with vehicles in motion. Spare, rhyming words introduce each plane or boat, but the language is sometimes perplexing. Instead of using common names such ashelicopterorsubmarine, Mandel uses phrases that describe what each vehicle does--"whirly-bird plane" and "go-below boats." The final spread in each book falls particularly flat, ending with a confusing reference: "This one is your [boat or plane]," accompanied by a picture of a toy children probably won't own. The illustrations more than make up for the over-reaching language, though. Using vivid, solid colors and simple geometric shapes reminiscent of Byron Barton's style, Miller creates exciting scenes of boats, planes, and passengers in action, while the uncluttered spreads and easily definable shapes invite counting practice for chubby-handed preschoolers. Pair these with Tana Hoban'sConstruction Zone(1997) for the Tonka Truck crowd.Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved