ALA Booklist (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2006)

PreS Gr. 2. This handsome, large-format picture book points out common uses of wheels in a short, rhyming text, brightly illustrated with distinctive collage illustrations. The wheels in question are mainly related to transportation and recreation, from bus to wheelchair, from skateboard to Ferris wheel. Laroche's distinctive collage compositions, created from textured papers and enhanced by painted backgrounds, demonstrate a fine sense of depth. Though effective individually, the text and artwork don't always work together; the illustration for the line Sometimes wheels spit and sputter, for instance, shows cars and vans tightly packed in traffic. Something may be spitting and sputtering (the vehicles? the outwardly cheerful drivers?), but the wheels? Quibbles aside, teachers looking for picture books supporting units on simple machines will be happy to have such a simply written, well-illustrated picture book on hand.

Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2004)

Illustrated with appealing color photos of a modern-day reenactment aboard Mayflower II, this attractive, factually accurate book describes the passengers, the conditions, and the events of the original 1620 voyage. The photos of the costumed interpreters seem posed and may confuse some readers, but overall the book is an informative resource intent on dispelling myths about history. Timeline. Bib., ind.

Kirkus Reviews

Captioned by Prince's very brief, loosely rhymed commentary ("Wheels whiz, wheels whir. / Wheels carry travelers."), Laroche's expert paint-and-cut-paper collages, on a variety of page layouts, depict all sorts of people using wheels of all sizes at work and play. For "Wheels help to make us go," they are attached to wagon, wheelchair, stroller, car and bike. They can be spinning on playgrounds ("wheels spin") and windmills; propelling a helicopter ("Wheels twirl"), inline skates ("Wheels roll") swinging beneath a tree branch, spinning within machinery or, in the most spectacular of the scenes, "Wheels soar into the sky" as a Ferris wheel carries bright-colored cars upside down and over. Wheel this in after or instead of Shelley Rotner's photographically illustrated Wheels Around (1995), and leave preschool audiences' heads a-spin. (Picture book. 3-6)

School Library Journal (Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2006)

PreS-K A colorful concept book on a subject that fascinates young readers. The brief rhyming text and precise artwork feature different types of wheels performing many jobs: Push/Pull/Pedal/Tow/Wheels help to make us go. Square vignettes offer numerous close-up examples, while single- and double-page pictures show broader scenes depicting bikes, a skateboard, a golf cart, a helicopter, a tire swing, and more. The striking collage art consists of paper cutouts that have been layered to provide dimension and enhanced by drawing and painting. The phrase, Wheels soar into the sky, is illustrated with the dramatic image of a Ferris wheel resplendent in bright primary colors and set against a starlit backdrop, perfectly capturing the thrill and function of this engineering marvel. Sometimes wheels spit and sputter is accompanied by a spread packed with a crisply hued array of cars. Puffs of smoke coming from several tailpipes indicate a traffic jam, and each unique automobile has its own passengers and details. The anticipatory quality of the rhymes and the detailed visuals will help children to guess the next word, making this a fun choice for storytime. It will also be a hit with the train- and truck-loving crowd. Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library