After winning a car, Joe Giraffe, who likes to "stretch my neck and see the world," takes cautious Sparky Turtle for a wild ride through town. The story features lots of jokes and snappy dialogue, but the chaotic plot may be too much for early readers to follow. Humorous watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations give personality to the odd-couple pals.

Joe and Sparky are unlikely buddies—turtle Sparky enjoys the safety of his shell while giraffe Joe is up for any adventure. Joe, convinced that he has won a contest, decides to take the prize, a bright yellow sports car, for a spin. Sparky is not so sure about this, but agrees to the road trip only if it is a very slow and short one. Four chapters tell the story of these two pals out for an adventure at the mall, at a drive-in burger joint and back home at Safari Land, where they appreciate their pond, the warm rock, the watering hole and even Wiggy, Joe's pet worm. New readers ready for the challenge of more words per page will appreciate the humor of the story and illustrations. Children familiar with the Froggy books will recognize Remkiewicz's distinctively funny style and will laugh out loud at the innocent assumptions Joe (who sports a Carmen Mirandalike fruit hat) and Sparky make as they explore the world outside Sparky's shell. Utterly charming. (Early reader. 5-8)

Gr 1-3 In this silly, action-packed tale for fluent early readers, Joe the giraffe believes that he has won a car in a contest he entered. He invites his friend Sparky the turtle to go for a ride. They stop at the "Tall Mall" and select clothing and accessories. The cashless Joe just happens to be the "one-millionth customer" and wins free purchases. They next go to the drive-in "Tasty Burger" and order leaves and bugs. When a roller-skating waitress delivers a bag of food to the car next to them, Sparky grabs it, saying "Thank you for feeding the animals!" before Joe speeds off. After an exciting day, the car sputters to a stop just inside the zoo, and Joe carries Sparky on his head, back to his pond. Remkiewicz's lively watercolor and Prismacolor pencil illustrations extend the action and jokes. Joe's concern and care for Sparky are a contrast to his improbable activities. Fans of Tedd Arnold's "Fly Guy" series (Scholastic) and those who are ready to tackle longer books may enjoy this adventure. Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI