This Old Van - Hardcover

Kim Norman is the author of several books for young readers, including Ten on the Sled; If It’s Snowy and You Know It, Clap Your Paws!; Puddle Pug; and Crocodaddy (all Sterling). As children in the family van, Kim and her siblings bounced along many a road less graveled. Kim and her husband live in Smithfield, VA. Visit Kim online at kimnormanbooks.com.
 
Carolyn Conahan is the author and illustrator of several picture books, including The Twelve Days of Christmas in Oregon (Sterling), and The Big Wish (Chronicle), which was awarded the 2011 Oregon Spirit Book Award for Picture Books by the Oregon Council of Teachers of English. She is also the staff artist of Cricket magazine. Carolyn comes from a family of adventurous teachers, and she spent her childhood on a series of bumpy road trips, much like the one in This Old Van. She lives in Portland, OR, and still loves to travel. Visit Carolyn online at carolyndigbyconahan.com.

PreS-Gr 1—Norman has taken a favorite childhood song, "This Old Man, He Plays One" and turned it into a great vehicle counting book that celebrates the flower power van of the 1960s. Gramps and Granny are invited to grandson Jake's big event. They are urged not to be late. The grandparents jump into their yellow van with flowers painted all over it and speed off down the road. We know they are in a hurry because the song tells us that they pass every vehicle they encounter on or off the road. One train, two construction vehicles, three tractors, four semis, five vintage cars, six dump trucks, seven pickup trucks with horse trailers, eight new cars on a car hauler, nine school buses, and ten dirt bikes. They arrive just in time to see Jake win the Downhill Derby in his little replica of the grandparents van. Of course, all the other competing vehicles are replicas of the cars, trucks, etc. that Gramps and Granny passed on their way. This is a delightful choice for preschoolers who adore cars and trucks of any kind. There are lots of details in the colorful illustrations for the child to search. Every vehicle has a face and the headlights are the eyes. VERDICT A fun addition to picture book collections.—Elaine Lesh Morgan, formerly at Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR