Faster! Faster!

The little girl on the swing in Higher! Higher! (2009) returns to play at the park with her father. Ride! she commands. Fast! Her father obliges, crawling on all fours, while she holds on to his necktie halter and imagines him to be a dog, a bunny, an ostrich, a horse, a cheetah, and more. Always, she urges him: Faster! Gradually drawing back from fantasy to reality, the book's ending will amuse parents as much as children. Bold, black lines define the simple forms in these colorful acrylic paintings. A satisfying sequel to a well-loved picture book.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist

PreS-In the spirit of Higher! Higher! (Candlewick, 2009), Patricelli takes children on a wild ride. The little girl is done with the swings and now wants her daddy to give her a ride on his back. On each page she demands that he go faster and faster. Her imagination turns him into a puppy, rabbit, ostrich, horse, cheetah, falcon, and dolphin until finally he turns into an exhausted turtle. The colorful illustrations capture the child's exuberance and sheer joy as she rides each creature on land, sea, or air, and then surprise as the turtle collapses. Each spread shows the totally exhausted animal left in her wake and gives a clue as to what unsuspecting animal will be her next ride. The boldly colored, uncluttered pictures with minimal backgrounds are perfect for preschoolers, and the repetitive text is tailor-made for the very young. An absolute delight.-Kris Hickey, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

She's been Higher! Higher! (rev. 3/09); now that book's thrill-seeking heroine takes an imaginative joy ride without leaving the earth's atmosphere. Playing horsey with her enthusiastic father, the pig-tailed little girl directs him to go "Faster! Faster!" Turn the page, and the girl is now riding on the back of a dog. "Faster! Faster!" The next double-page spread shows the pooped pup left behind while the girl speeds away on a white rabbit. And so the Pony Express-like pattern goes: exhausted rabbit ("pant pant") is replaced by ostrich, ostrich is traded for horse, then cheetah, then hawk (all, tellingly, wearing Dad's purple polka-dotted tie). Things are mixed up a bit when the hawk swoops down out of the sky and into the ocean for a bold double-spread "SPLASH!" whereupon the girl then hitches a ride on a dolphin. Eventually the girl finds herself on a sluggish sea turtle ("Faster? Faster?"), Dad's enviable reserves of energy finally depleted. Once again, Patricelli successfully channels a preschooler's nimble imagination. The book's playful design, featuring hand-lettered text and richly colored cartoonlike acrylics, speaks directly to its young audience. Slow down and share this one with your little speedsters. kitty flynn (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The little girl on the swing in Higher! Higher! (2009) returns to play at the park with her father. "Ride!" she commands. "Fast!" Her father obliges, crawling on all fours, while she holds on to his necktie halter and imagines him to be a dog, a bunny, an ostrich, a horse, a cheetah, and more. Always, she urges him: "Faster!" Gradually drawing back from fantasy to reality, the book's ending will amuse parents as much as children. Bold, black lines define the simple forms in these colorful acrylic paintings. A satisfying sequel to a well-loved picture book. Copyright 2011 Booklist Reviews.

PreS—In the spirit of Higher! Higher! (Candlewick, 2009), Patricelli takes children on a wild ride. The little girl is done with the swings and now wants her daddy to give her a ride on his back. On each page she demands that he go faster and faster. Her imagination turns him into a puppy, rabbit, ostrich, horse, cheetah, falcon, and dolphin until finally he turns into an exhausted turtle. The colorful illustrations capture the child's exuberance and sheer joy as she rides each creature on land, sea, or air, and then surprise as the turtle collapses. Each spread shows the totally exhausted animal left in her wake and gives a clue as to what unsuspecting animal will be her next ride. The boldly colored, uncluttered pictures with minimal backgrounds are perfect for preschoolers, and the repetitive text is tailor-made for the very young. An absolute delight.—Kris Hickey, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH