PreS-Gr 1 Sam is used to winning everything, including car racing, his sport of choice. His wall of trophies and trinkets show off his talent for success until the day the unthinkable happens: the pup loses the big race because he stops for a group of oblivious chickens in the middle of the track. Then his cheering friends and the chickens let him know that he is still number one with them. Children will be able to relate to Sam's disappointment when he loses while also understanding the concept that winning isn't always everything. Pizzoli's playful, cartoon illustrations perfectly showcase the message in a fun way yet never come off as didactic. Pizzoli's use of four-color art provides an airy, uncluttered vision for his story that will definitely attract children. The simple yet exciting text drives the story forward and will make it a popular choice at storytimes. Christopher Lassen, Brooklyn Public Library—SLJ
Sam is definitely used to being number one: the pointy-nosed pup and his zippy red rodster win every race. One day, though, his friend Maggie the elephant beats him out in a flash finish, leaving Sam unsure of himself and nervous for the next race. He breaks ahead quickly but-oh no! Five bespectacled chicks are in the track! Sam stops to usher the interlopers to safety, and the other racers-including a cleverly placed cameo of the croc from Pizzoli's breakout hit The Watermelon Seed (BCCB 6/13)-fly by, only to cheer his heroism when he reaches the finish line last. The lesson that there's more to life than winning is perhaps more trite here than in Manceau's recent The Race (BCCB 5/14), but it is effectively conveyed in spare and approachable prose and sweetens the peppy racecar plot for a pleasant readaloud. Pizzoli's screen-printed illustrations in vivid spot colors of aqua, gold, and cherry create a groovy '50s colorway-complemented with design details like starbursts and eye-popping background washes-will be equally enjoyed far away in a storytime audience or up close and personal. These retro elements combine with the animals' fuzzy outlines and wide-eyed na vet recall a slightly blockier P. D. Eastman, and the simple text recalls those easy readers as well. With its appeal to both racecar enthusiasts and fans of quiet heroism, this will zoom off shelves, so be sure to stock up. TA—BCCB
PRAISE FOR THE WATERMELON SEED
* "Children will love this hilarious book...The story has broad appeal, making it a great first purchase."—School Library Journal, starred review
PRAISE FOR THE WATERMELON SEED
* "It's an expert debut..."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
PRAISE FOR THE WATERMELON SEED
"With a sharp graphic sensibility, vibrant design, and adept characterization, Pizzoli spins the simple premise into a sweet confection, ripe with broad humor."—Booklist Online
PRAISE FOR THE WATERMELON SEED
"Screen printing allows for sweet intensity and subtle textures in Ben Day dots and overprinting, while the pared-down simplicity of the spreads and lively incorporation of text into the images provides graphic oomph that will reach the back row of the storytime rug."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
PRAISE FOR THE WATERMELON SEED
"Pizzoli legitimizes childish anxieties but also slyly exaggerates each worry to highlight the humor."—New York Times
PRAISE FOR THE WATERMELON SEED
"The illustrations, done in a graphic, flat-color style with simple linework, recall the cheerful stylings of Ed Emberley and Roger Hargreaves. While Pizzoli uses the computer to arrange his compositions, he takes extra care to hand print the pieces. Done in a three-color printing, the silk screen offers a toothiness to the page, giving fruit, animal and emotions more substance."—Kirkus Reviews
Sam the dog is a champion race-car driver, and he has the trophy wall to prove it. But racing isn't just a sport for Sam-it's his whole identity, and when he loses to his best friend Maggie the elephant, he's truly shaken up. "The night before the next race, Sam didn't sleep one wink," writes Geisel Award winner Pizzoli (The Watermelon Seed). Will Sam do anything to win back his title? What if it means mowing down five oblivious chicks who decide to cross the track at the very moment the race's outcome hangs in the balance? One thing's certain: this is another winner from Pizzoli, who employs the same na f drawing style and four-color spot printing technique that gave his debut a silly sweetness and distinctly artisanal feel. Working with a more straightforward narrative this time, Pizzoli adeptly builds tension and sympathy for Sam, so that even when the story wraps up with a familiar lesson-a little sportsmanship and selflessness go a long way-it feels like everybody really does win. Ages 3 5.—PW
They don't make dog racers better than Sam: "He was number one in speed. He was number one at turns. And he was number one at finishing races in the number-one spot." On the day of "the big race," he is happy and confident and steers his racer (which looks rather like a hot dog) around the track, neck and neck with elephant buddy Maggie. Then, with an effective color shift from bright pastels to moody blues, "Sam lost." Young readers will identify with the shock of unexpected failure, as Sam arrives at the next big race quiet and nervous. (Observant sorts will notice the 1 on his race car has been crossed out in favor of 2.) But there are more important things than winning, because Sam gave up the lead to scoop some duckies off the path. Pizzoli's follow-up to the 2014 Geisel Award winning The Watermelon Seed (the starring crocodile makes a cameo here) again uses cheery Rocky-and-Bullwinkle-style illustrations and sparse text to pull off a far more emotional feat than you'd expect. - Daniel Kraus—Booklist
Like many young people today, racecar driver Sam the dog is used to winning. "Sam was number one. / He was number one in speed. / He was number one at turns. / And he was number one at finishing races in the number-one spot." Pizzoli's use of digitally created color lets the young reader know exactly how Sam is feeling at any given time. Sam is complacent in bright primary colors after winning a race, waving to the crowd, the only one covered in confetti, unaware of the sadness on the faces of his friends left in his dust. When he is beaten by Maggie the elephant, the background fades to a grayish aqua as Maggie is hoisted to the shoulders of her friends and Sam is left with a look of consternation on his face. In bed that night, his white wide-eyed insomnia is obvious: he cannot sleep for worrying over how he lost the race and if he is still number one. In the end, he is-but not for the reason he had planned. Pizzoli's (The Watermelon Seed) talent with color, easy-to-read words, and humor is something to behold. It's not easy to write a book for new readers because everything from the font, to the word choice and repetition, to the plot and page turns has to work within the construct of readability. This one does it all. And Pizzoli fans will be gratified that, with the crocodile from The Watermelon Seed making an appearance here, this may be turning into a bit of a series for new readers. robin l. smith—Horn Book
There's more than one way to be the big dog in the little bestiary. Sam is top dog when it comes to zipping his red roadster around the track. "He was number one in speed. / He was number one at turns. // And he was number one at finishing races in the number-one spot." Like Sam, Geisel winner Pizzoli's artwork is crackerjack, too, with pure cupcake colors, French curves, blocks of high-octane negative space and personable animal pals. Then comes the day that Sam doesn't cross the finish line first. Fortunately, Sam proves not to be a poor loser, but his self-confidence sure takes a shellacking. He's a wreck, figuratively. When the next big race comes up, he even forgets to wish his friend Maggie good luck. After a slow start, Sam takes the lead. "Sam would be number one again!" Whoa! Five yellow, bespectacled chicks are on the racetrack. Sam hits the brakes and gathers up the peepsters as his friends steam by to the finish line. No. 1 takes on a whole new meaning. Pizzoli's story is a simple class act. Do the right thing-you can't lose, ever. And most of the time, the right thing is no great philosophical conundrum but as clear as the checkered flag. A polished work, from the words to the finish on the race cars. (Picture book. 3-5)—Kirkus
