I WISH I WERE A PILOT

Rhyming couplets highlight different modes of transportation: “I wish I were an astronaut, hurtling into space. I wish I were a cowboy, with the fresh wind in my face.” From the well-known airplane and boat, to the not-so-well-known hot-air balloon and coach and four, the author covers 11 ways that people get around. While most of the modes of transportation highlighted can be paired with an occupation, a few are more recreational in nature—cyclist and rower, for instance. The rhythms and rhymes are spot-on, except for the final one, which forces readers to use the “bean” pronunciation of “been” to rhyme with “submarine.” A concluding “On the Move” section presents some fun facts about each mode, except the horse—Blackstone describes the job of a cowboy instead. Grover uses bold colors and puts his large subjects in the foreground, making them stand out. But the stiffness of the people and animals pictured detracts from the artwork. Not the best—or the worst—on the subject. (Picture book. 2-6)