I WANT TO RIDE THE TAP TAP

This bright book about a Haitian child’s special outing will have everyone wanting to ride the tap tap.

Claude has always wanted to ride the tap tap, the privately owned, brightly colored bus Papa rides every day, but he always seems to have schoolwork or chores to do instead. All week long, Lendi through Vandredi, Claude and Manman accompany Papa to the bus stop, where Claude meets all the interesting passengers, and every day the tap tap drives away without him. He feels like he is missing all the fun. On Samdi, they don’t even go to the stop. Then, on Dimanch after church, Claude’s parents surprise him with a ride on the tap tap! The family heads to the beach, where Claude has a chance to see and learn from all the tap tap passengers he met during the week, fishing, making a straw hat, playing the steel drums, and painting a picture—of the tap tap! Luminous, textured illustrations invite children to imagine themselves sliding around on the seat of the tap tap bus with Claude, looking out its heart-shaped windows, and bouncing down the street. The characters’ brown skin shines with dancing color, and the endpapers evoke the tropical urban landscape in all its warmth. Haitian Creole turns of phrase pepper the text, a glossary in the back supplementing contextual clues. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 33.7% of actual size.)

Every young reader will resonate with Claude’s happy day. Bon bagay!