Rightly noting that people today may never have heard of Soichiro Honda, but almost everyone knows his last name, Weston presents the first stand-alone biography for young readers of this Japanese blacksmith's son, who fell in love with cars the instant he first laid eyes on one in 1914. He went on to become a mechanic, inventor, race car driver d, of course, a tycoon. Yamasaki helps to keep the tone light with fanciful painted illustrations that depict her subject set amid flying car parts and streams of tiny automobiles and motorcycles. Honda is neatly portrayed as someone who was smart enough both to stay in touch with his employees (it was a worker's suggestion that convinced him to go with water-cooled rather than less powerful air-cooled engines) and take early retirement. Though a demanding boss, Honda was not so much a driven, Olympian business leader, but rather a human being who found his bliss early on and stuck with it through thick and thin.

Fifteen-year-old Jes (Losing Forever) is still--reluctantly--adjusting to her new stepfather and stepsister when her mother announces she's pregnant. At the same time, Jes is navigating her first real relationship (with the boy next door) and dealing with her boy-crazy best friend. Jes's character isn't very well fleshed-out, but her chatty narrative is entertaining.

Soichiro Honda was, in his own way, the Henry Ford of Japan. He became fascinated by automobiles from his very first sight of a Model T. Determined to learn everything possible about cars, he began as a cleaner in a garage and eventually became an expert mechanic with his own business. Later he designed racecars and manufactured car parts and airplane propellers. After World War II, he developed small motorcycles and started the Honda Motor Company, constantly adding improvements and innovations to his products and then designing and manufacturing fuel-efficient automobiles. Weston presents Honda as a perfectionist, an innovator in his field and a model corporate leader, who encouraged his workers, listened to them and treated them well. However, with the exception of a list of retirement activities, Honda's life beyond business is nowhere to be found. Yamasaki's detailed and whimsical acrylics add zest to the proceedings. A worthwhile introduction to a neglected subject. (author's sources, afterword) (Picture book/biography. 7-12)

Gr 3-5 This picture-book biography follows the life of Soichiro Honda, born in 1906, from his beginnings as a boy working in his father's smith shop to his international success as a manufacturer. Weston's writing is clear and accessible, even to those who might not know any automotive lingo. The book reads like a story, with fictionalization of Honda's thoughts and dialogue and emphasis on his persistence and ingenuity. Yamasaki's acrylic illustrations dominate each page. At first glance they seem representational, but on closer inspection readers will find little men climbing on the engine parts and pieces of machinery swirling up into the air like dust, miniature cars going around a globe and down Honda's arm, and figures on tiny motorcycles on mountains as a backdrop to modern, colorfully clad men and women riding on the road. Yamasaki's creative composition makes the pictures interesting and dynamic. There has been very little published about Honda for children. This story takes a step toward filling that gap. Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT