Great picture books can teach kids things - sometimes things they thought they knew already 32 pp. First Second. $17.99. (Ages 2 to 6) VROOM! Written and illustrated by Barbara McClintock A girl and her racecar are at the center of this satisfying book, gorgeously illustrated as always by McClintock ("Adele & Simon"). "It was a fine evening for a drive," so our heroine zooms right out her window, bushy red hair streaming out of her helmet. She goes through mountains, a desert, a forest and a city, ending up back at her own house, where she settles in for story time with Dad (a book called "Cars," of course). The tone is marvelously matter of fact, about both the girl's feats of driving and her automotive passion. 32 pp. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $17.99. (Ages 3 to 7) HOLD HANDS Written and illustrated by Sara Varon Varon's singular visual style - bright, friendly and completely zany - and her deft, economical writing make this simple ode to holding hands burst with originality and charm. The book's goggle-eyed creatures are identifiable as rabbits, elephants, ducks and so on, but they wear clothes, ride the bus, go to play dates and day care. All the while they demonstrate the many uses of hand-holding: helping when you're scared, keeping you safe when you cross the street, showing your mom you love her. This world is funny and askew enough to grab and hold a toddler or preschooler's interest, and orderly and reassuring enough to make that same kid feel protected and cared for. WHEN SADNESS IS AT YOUR DOOR Written and illustrated by Eva Eland "Sometimes sadness arrives unexpectedly," this wise, spare book announces. Eland draws sadness as a pale blue blob, rather gentle looking, that shadows a little girl. Lots of white space on each page keeps the mood soothing and thoughtful as the girl tries to figure out what to do. Hiding it doesn't work, but she soon sees sadness as nothing to be afraid of - sadness can't help itself, and means no harm. There's lots of useful advice for sad days: going for a walk through the trees, or just sitting quietly together. Best of all, there's the calm reminder that tomorrow, "when you wake up it might be gone." 32 pp. Random Flouse. $17.99. (Ages 3 to 7) MONTY AND THE POODLES Written and illustrated by Katie Harnett As any owner of a beloved, breed-indeterminate rescue mutt knows, dogs can be a good entree into stories about inequality and prejudice. In this beguilingly written and illustrated tale, Monty is a scraggly blackand-white street creature who stumbles upon some poodles living in luxury at Poodle Mansions. Friendship ensues, against the wishes of the snooty Miss Lillabet. Monty gets a blowout and passes as a poodle, but that just feels wrong. So justice and friendship prevail: The pooches turn an old movie theater into a place where "everyone was welcome." 40 pp. Flying Eye. $17.95. (Ages 4 to 8) HOME IS A WINDOW By Stephanie Parsley Ledyard. Illustrated by Chris Sasaki. Halfway through this tribute to all that makes a place home, like "a table with something good and the people gathered there," it becomes clear that the family in its pages is moving to a new house. New definitions for home follow - "the shirt that smells like your old room" - as we see the family singing in the car, and eating takeout picnic-style at their new place. Ledyard's ("Pie Is for Sharing") words hit every right note; Sasaki's illustrations are earthy and enchanting. 32 pp. Neal Porter/Holiday House. $18.99. (Ages 4 to 8) YOU ARE HOME: AN ODE TO THE NATIONAL PARKS Written and illustrated by Evan Turk Invoking herds of elk and forests of aspen as well as a kid living in a city, Turk captures the grandness of the very idea of our national parks. With bold, freewheeling painting and equally bold, concise poetry, plus informational pages, he has made a book as majestic and inclusive as its subject. 56 pp. Atheneum. $18.99. (Ages 4 and up) LITTLE TACO TRUCK By Tanya Valentine. Illustrated by Jorge Martin. It's about time food trucks took their rightful places in the pantheon of picture-book vehicles. In this whimsically illustrated story an innocent taco truck is dismayed to find there's competition for his usual spot: a falafel truck, oblivious to her trespass! Rest assured, Valentine's story is about making space for everyone, even if it's a bit of a squeeze, and enjoying all the goodness the world has to offer. 32 pp. Schwartz & Wade. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8) HOW TO READ A BOOK By Kwame Alexander. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Alexander's lush poem captures and pays tribute to the sensual pleasures of reading: finding the right comfortable spot, opening your book "like you would a clementine," savoring the beauty and richness of its words. Sweet's colorful multilayered collages and artful lettering do justice to the message, inviting readers of all ages to linger in these lovely pages. "Don't rush through," Alexander reminds us. "Your eyes need time to taste. Your soul needs room to bloom." 32 pp. HarperCollins. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8) MARIA RUSSO is the children's books editor of the Book Review.

PreS-Gr 2-Little Taco Truck is parked in the perfect spot under a shady tree and close to the workers who are constructing new buildings in a large city. His troubles begin one morning when he arrives as usual only to find that big, beautiful blue Miss Falafel has usurped his perfect parking place. Each day, when Little Taco Truck shows up, he discovers more food trucks parked on the street and has difficulty finding a place for himself. He eventually comes up with a plan to take back his original location. The other vehicles soon realize how thoughtless they have been in not making room for him. Digital illustrations feature trucks in bright, bold red, yellow, and pink serving a variety of foods such as gumbo, tapas, arepas, and gelato. Kindness and consideration for others, as well as learning to stand up for oneself, are the themes of this title. VERDICT This hip and fun read-aloud will appeal to children who are fully cognizant of the importance of playing fair.-Maryann H. Owen, Oak Creek Public Library WI © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A little orange food truck parks in the same place every day, bringing tacos to hungry construction workerstill one morning, a falafel truck takes his spot. Miss Falafel then brings by more of her friends, crowding out the taco truck. Little Taco Truck whines and cries, but after four days of being shut out by the bigger trucks, he finally takes the initiative. He spends the night in his former parking space, defending his territory when the other trucks arrive. The rest immediately apologize, and after some creative maneuvering, everyone fitseven the newly arrived noodle truck. Valentine's nave call for cooperation glosses over the very real problem of urban gentrification represented by the flood of bigger and better-equipped trucks taking over the neighborhood. When the taco truck is the only game in town, the food line consists of hard-hatted construction workers. Then, as falafel, arepa, gelato, hot dog, and gumbo trucks set up shop, professionals and hipsters start showing up. (All the customers are depicted as animals.) The author also inadvertently equates tacos with a lack of sophistication. " Hola, Miss FalFal' Little Taco Truck tried to sound out the words on the side of the other truck." Sadly, the truck sells Americanized crisp-shelled tacos. Even the glossary ignores the culinary versatility and cultural authenticity of the soft taco with this oversimplified and inaccurate definition: "A crispy Mexican corn pancake folded or rolled around a filling of meat, beans, and cheese."Slight and contrived. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Little Taco Truck has a happy life: he's got a great location and plenty of satisfied customers. Then other food trucks-serving falafel, tapas, gumbo, arepas, and gelato (all defined in a glossary)-move in and crowd him out. While the other trucks' opportunism seems far more thoughtless than malicious, Little Taco Truck's tentativeness and self-pity exacerbate the ordeal (What if his customers like the other food more? What if he disappears from view?). But tearful misery soon gives way to determination: he stakes out a space at dawn, and when the others show up, Valentine (All Bears Need Love) writes, "Little Taco Truck blinked his lights, puffed up his tires and said, 'This is my spot!''" Chastened and eager to cooperate ("We can all fit if we squeeze," volunteers the arepas truck), the group even finds room when Oodles of Noodles shows up. A familiar story about standing up for oneself gets a tasty twist courtesy of the urban culinary zeitgeist and plenty of visual pop from digital illustrations by Martin (I'm Hungry), who arrays the blocky, brightly colored characters along a single, streetlike plane. Ages 3-7. Author's agent: Linda Epstein, Emerald City Literary Agency. Illustrator's agent: Anne Moore Armstrong, Bright USA. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Little Taco Truck has loyal (anthropomorphized animal) customers but finds his business (and ego) threatened when some other food trucks--Miss Falafel, Jumbo Gumbo, et al.--start taking the good parking spots and doing business on his street. The text-heavy story, featuring chunky art majoring in produce-aisle colors, gently promotes the fine idea that collaboration is an antidote to competition. Glos. (c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.