Snoh's First Road Trip

Clarion Rating: 4 out of 5 Snoh’s First Road Trip is a visual treat that emphasizes a loving family adventure with educational concepts. In Jacqueline Brooks’s cheerful board book Snoh’s First Road Trip, a toddler learns about shapes and colors while viewing landscapes. On a sunny day, Snoh and her parents set out in their yellow minivan. Leaving home, they pass by the sea and a white-sand beach. They also pass mountains and flower fields, a flock of blackbirds, a library, and a sleek train. They drive on through a starry night before arriving at a new place that’s painted in island colors. The book’s straightforward focus on the view through Snoh’s window is well paired with gorgeous artwork. Many of the illustrations are playful, experimenting with scale and composition: the bubbly van’s wheels are tiny; fish leap; flowers tilt; and buildings show vibrant, jaunty movements. The gray road itself sometimes ribbons and bends right off the ground. Together, these features convey wonder in what’s ordinary. And color is used to full effect, from rolling greenery to the bluish plume in the minivan’s tail pipe. The result is an energetic sensory panorama that elevates an otherwise everyday storyline. Key words in the text, including the names of shapes, are highlighted for easy reference. Font colors for words including red, yellow, and orange switch to their corresponding colors. However, the text’s end rhymes vary in quality, and some of the book’s phrasing is too forceful in expressing reactions: “Snoh is so happy and grateful to be here” is declared so as to make the line rhyme with “clear” and “appear.” A visual treat that emphasizes a loving adventure and educational concepts, the board book Snoh’s First Road Trip follows a lively family outing.