UP AND DOWN ON THE MERRY-GO-ROUND
by Bill Martin Jr & John Archambault illustrated by Ted Rand
A rollicking celebration of everyone's favorite ride. Lilting verse ("A prancing pig,/a dancing bear,/an ostrich loping,/and a hopping hare,/gliding, striding,/everyone riding,/side by side,/giddy-up! giddy-up!/I'll ride the wind,/they'll never catch up") is accompanied by joyous watercolors of children astride a succession of marvelously varied steeds, whiffing across the page. Rand captures the range of emotion—apprehension, pride, cautious enthusiasm, sheer delight—plus the whiffing motion and the sensation of returning to humdrum earth. Dad eating our popcorn while he waits and the almost-lost ticket are realistic touches.