Helpful Score: 1
ISBN 1887942408 - The bloom is off the rose right now, the honeymoon is on hiatus (it's probably not over, but on a break). Hooked on Phonics' books have been impressing me rather a lot but The Race isn't one of the impressive ones.
Four drivers get their cars fixed up for the big race. At the starting line, some are more ready than others and once they hit the track, anything can happen.
The text is rhyming, and that starts out fine but abruptly takes a turn for the worst. Rather than flowing and smooth, it becomes a tongue twister with a lot of words that are similar enough to one another to make a smooth read nearly impossible. This is the second HOP book in which author Jan Swanberg has just plain old missed the mark (ISBN 1887942440 The Best Grandma Ever (Hooked on Phonics, Book 23) being the other) and I'm soon going to become wary of the name. On the bright side, illustrator Ron Lipking does a superb job. The vehicles with faces (a little Thomas-the-Tank-Engine-esque) are cute and the action is great.
- AnnaLovesBooks
Four drivers get their cars fixed up for the big race. At the starting line, some are more ready than others and once they hit the track, anything can happen.
The text is rhyming, and that starts out fine but abruptly takes a turn for the worst. Rather than flowing and smooth, it becomes a tongue twister with a lot of words that are similar enough to one another to make a smooth read nearly impossible. This is the second HOP book in which author Jan Swanberg has just plain old missed the mark (ISBN 1887942440 The Best Grandma Ever (Hooked on Phonics, Book 23) being the other) and I'm soon going to become wary of the name. On the bright side, illustrator Ron Lipking does a superb job. The vehicles with faces (a little Thomas-the-Tank-Engine-esque) are cute and the action is great.
- AnnaLovesBooks
