Friday 27 July 2018

ReadItDaddy's First Book of the Week - Week Ending 27th July 2018: "The Princess and the Pit Stop" by Tom Angleberger and Dan Santat (Abrams and Chronicle)

Our first Book of the Week this week definitely isn't one for prim and proper princesses who love gadding around in taffeta ball gowns...
...which is just as well, because C is well and truly 'over' the whole Disney Princess thing and likes her girl heroes to be a bit more mighty than that.

Step forward "The Princess and the Pit Stop" by Tom Angleberger and Dan Santat.

The princess in this book wears a crash helmet and lives by the motto "I feel the need, the need for speed!"

She's a racing driver par excellence but during the final race of the season she pits and finds herself resting firmly in last place.

Her fairy godmother is worried, and her pit crew more or less tell her to give up. But giving up isn't what race-driving princesses do! NO WAY!

So it's pedal to the metal for a thrill ride as the Princess digs into all her self belief and reserves to see if she can win the race.

Give up? Are you crazy? No way!
Using her amazing race driving skills, the princess soon begins to smoke the opposition...

Gotta love the inventive vehicles in this. Watch out for them on the end papers!
So begins a fast-paced story for kids who love cars and racing, just like C who has a colossal collection of Hot Wheels cars, and absolutely loves anything involving amazing little vehicles of all shapes and sizes.

The story is fun, the hugely positive message is delivered in a novel way and we just cannot get enough of Dan Santat's artwork, particularly his groovy "Wacky Races / Sugar Rush" style car designs for all the fairytale characters who crop up as racers in this book.

Absolutely belting! We love it!

C's best car: Humpty Dumpty's rather groovy bubble car.

Daddy's best car: The pie-shaped racer that four and twenty blackbirds set out in.

"The Princess and the Pit Stop" by Tom Angleberger and Dan Santat is out now, published by Abrams and Chronicle (kindly supplied for review).