Zoom! Beep! Vroom! Busy Cities

Vehicles, geography, and onomatopoeia come together in this sturdy board book for toddlers. Cartoonish illustrations are active, colorful, and vibrant, and they buzz with vehicular activity. Each double-page spread focuses on a different city, presenting a well-known city landmark and the city skyline. The name of the city is also clearly indicated: on a big red double-decker bus in rainy London, on a young man’s T-shirt at a train station in Mexico City, on a child’s hat in Vancouver. And what the toddlers are really going to be interested in is the assortment of vehicles in all those cities. Spare narrative text is enhanced by onomatopoeia, which adds interest and action: the “zoooooooooooooooom” of a bullet train in Hong Kong, the “woo woo woo” of a police car and the “wee uuu wee uuu” of an ambulance in Tokyo, and the quiet “whir whir whir” of a stroller in Vancouver. Diverse adults and children, with skin and hair of many different shades, are present in all the cities, and women are shown driving a fire engine in New York, a bulldozer in Seattle, a bicycle in Paris, and, with a headscarf, flying the Dubai Air plane. With plenty to see, hear, and identify, young children will enjoy the many busy cities and the plethora of vehicles in them. (Board book. 1-3) —Kirkus Reviews.

duopress labs is the creative team, led by Mauricio Vela´zquez de Leo´n, responsible for writing and developing dozens of books and games. Recent titles include The Belly Sticker Book; and the SmartFlash and TummyTime™ series, 100 Pablo Picassos; My Fridge; and My First Lift-the-Flap Animal Book. Mauricio has written for Lonely Planet, Chouette, PowerKids Press, and the magazines Gourmet and Saveur. He resides wherever he can find a good wi-fi connection and strong coffee, mostly in the eastern United States.

Josh Cleland is an illustrator working out of his home studio just outside of Portland, Oregon, where he resides with his wife, Rayna. You will find his work in various children’s magazines including Highlights and Storytime, and in other media such as greeting cards, websites, billboards, and more. His recent illustrated children’s books include TAD and Portland Baby.

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