My Taxi Ride
“Hail taxi! Hey taxi! Ho taxi! Yo taxi!” begins a madcap ride around New York City in a taxicab. “Where to, Miss? Where to, Mister? Where to, Brother? Where to, Sister? All around our New York town!”
Whimsical illustrations of yellow cabs “buzzing around like bumblebees” take readers through the neighborhoods of the Big Apple. Bright colors, fanciful lettering, and people of all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages catch the eye and engage the imagination. Fast-moving rhythms, with taxi-calling refrains, “Hail taxi! Hey taxi! Ho taxi! Yo taxi!” are sure to captivate young readers.
The authors, a husband-and-wife team, show their love for their home city in this lively book featuring taxi rides through the Great White Way, Greenwich Village, Museum Mile, and even a traffic jam. Their previous books include My Subway Ride, Children’s Songbag, and Putting on a Play. Jacobs has co-authored four books with musician Pete Seeger, and Swender is a veteran elementary school teacher and curriculum writer.
The bold, colorful illustrations include hip multicultural faces and clothing, fresh views of a city from a child’s perspective, and lots of action. The illustrator also provided art for the authors’ book My Subway Ride. Alko captures the flavor of the city in all its glorious foibles, from the collision-induced traffic jam to the glowing Broadway lights to the nose-ring-wearing patrons of the jazz club on Bleeker Street.
We sure did ramble, sure did roam. / Now it’s time to head for home. / Check the meter. Pay the fare. / Exit curbside with great care. / Tip the driver. Tip your hat. / Say good-bye and that is that.
Such lively rhymes will have young readers begging to read this book again and again, and the imaginative illustrations will keep them poring over the pictures long after the words are finished. New York City fans will love these fresh interpretations of the city’s many faces.
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
