About the Holiday

Today, we celebrate the maps that get us from one place to another whether it’s around town, during visits to new cities, or while crossing the country on vacation. Did you know that the first road map was designed by Scottsman John Ogliby in 1675? As “His Majesty’s Cosmographer and Geographic Printer,” Ogilby drew up the Britannia atlas that incorporated innovations in measurement that set the standard for modern maps. Instead of using the local mile, Ogilby employed the standard mile of 1,760 yards. He also created the one-inch-to-the-mile scale. Of course, nowadays maps are more likely to be accessed on your phone or in your car, but there’s still something a little magical about unfolding a paper map and unfolding an adventure!

Me and My Cars

By Liesbet Slegers

It’s safe to say that in every little one’s life there is at least one vehicle that gets them excited. Whether it’s the family car for trips to the park or nap-inducing comfort, huge trucks, fast trains, or siren-blaring emergency vehicles, these wheeled wonders set kids’ eyes sparkling. Me and My Cars offers an invitation to the youngest readers as a child asks: “Want to come for a ride?”

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First up is a ride in the back seat of the car where the tyke and Daddy are all buckled up and heading out for a fun day. Next, the little one gets to watch out the big window of the bus and say “hello!” to passersby. There’s a jeep! It’s specially made to drive “over rough and bumpy roads. The big tires help.” Vacations don’t get much cozier than traveling in a mobile camper. You might even call it a “little house on wheels.”

Ding! Ding! Ding! It’s the ice cream truck! Let’s go get a treat! Now it’s back into the car. “Honk! Honk!” A moving van says hi as the little one and Dad pass by. The truck is “big and long. Lots of furniture fits inside.” They also see a tanker that “carries milk from the farm to the store.” Milk! Yum! And look! A car transporter! It’s hauling five cars. Can you count them?

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There are also cars to help people like an ambulance, a police car, a police van, and a fire engine. “The fire engine has a ladder and two hoses. The firefighters put out the fire.” When a car gets a flat tire, a tow truck pulls it to the repair shop. There are lots of vehicles to help people get work done too. On the farm, a tractor carries hay. To get rid of trash, a “garbage collectors put trash bags in the back” of the garbage truck. “Crunch! Now the trash is compacted.” There are also street sweepers, bulldozers, excavators, dump trucks, and crane trucks that are so strong they can pick up “a heavy piece of concrete.”

But if you like speed, your favorite vehicle is probably a racecar. “The racecar is very fast! Watch it go!” Formula 1 racecars go ‘round and ‘round a track. Which one “do you think will win the race?”

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Little ones will be captivated by Liesbet Slegers’ beautifully created Me and My Cars in which twenty-five vehicles are introduced and described with two engaging sentences that invite readers to join the child narrator in a fun learning adventure. The book is divided into three sections: vehicles for riding in, those for helping, and others for working. Slegers’ text is wonderful not only for learning about cars and trucks but for early language development as well.

The full sentences model sentence structure important for young learners while the details of the vehicle’s uses, sounds, size, and actions teach kids new vocabulary words and give them a sense of the inside and outside of the cars and trucks presented. Each vehicle is given a boldly-colored two-page spread that first depicts the particular vehicle and then shows it and the people who drive it in action.

A first choice for babies and toddlers as a gift or an addition to home, preschool, kindergarten, and daycare bookshelves, Me and My Cars is also a terrific take-along for outdoor activities and for places where waiting can be expected.

Ages 1 – 5

Clavis, 2018 | ISBN 978-1605373997

Discover more about Liesbet Slegers and her books on her website.