Blog Entry #3 Toot! Toot! Zoom!

Toot Toot Zoom

Written by Phyllis Root
Illustrated by Matthew Codell
Candlewick Press
2009
32 pages

Fantasy

       I chose this book because it was on display at the public library. It looked interesting because the cover has a fox driving a red convertible. In this book, Pierre lived all by himself at the foot of a mountain. Finally, he grew so tired of being alone he decided to drive up and over the mountain to find a friend. As he did so, he encountered a goat, a sheep, and a bear. They told him they would help him find a friend over the mountain; therefore, he gave them a ride in his convertible. The mountain was so high, and Pierre’s poor little car was so weighed down that it gave out near the top. The four animals pushed the car until they reached the top, hopped in, and then started down the other side of the mountain. Because the car wasn’t working, Pierre had no brake control. The car crashed, and they were stranded on the other side of the mountain. Through the process of coming up the mountain and picking up the other animals, Pierre and his riding companions came to the realization that they were the new friends Pierre had set out to find. They stayed on the other side of the mountain and lived happily together. 

       The illustrations in the book are very informal and spin around the page. The medium is watercolor, which gives a cartoon-like effect to the pictures. On some pages, the mountain took up two whole pages forcing the reader to turn the book sideways to read the words. This signified how large and important the mountain was in the story. It also depicted the way the road zigzagged up the mountain. This is an important visual for the reader to understand the need for Pierre to honk his horn at every turn, giving the book its namesake “Toot! Toot! Zoom!”

       This is an excellent book for younger grades when discussing onomatopoeias. It could also be a great way to introduce the relationship between proportion and significance in a story. For example, the large proportion of the mountain symbolized its importance in the story. Another use for this book in the classroom would be as a writing prompt. For instance, the teacher could ask the class, “Pierre wanted to make friends. Write about a time you made a new friend.” I would suggest the use of this book for K-2^nd graders. 

If you like this book, check out more about Phyllis Root by clicking her name to go to her website. Phyllis Root is also a professor at Hamline University where she teaches creative writing courses and courses about writing for children.