If I Built a Car

by Chris Van Dusen

Book Overview

With energetic rhyme and action-packed artwork to match, If I Built a Car sure to fuel any young inventor with big plans and grand imaginations.

"If I built a car, it'd be totally new Here are a few of the things that I'd do. . . ." Jack has designed the ultimate fantasy car. Inspired by zeppelins and trains, Cadillacs and old planes, with brilliant colors and lots of shiny chrome, this far-out vision is ready to cruise there's...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142408255
• ISBN13: 9780142408254
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 10.0" x 9.9"
• Age Range: 3 to 5 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten

Customer Reviews

I threw this to the trash.

I threw this to the trash. The kid is drawn like a 40 year old man. In almost all the pages the kid character is drawn with woman-like legs and is showing his butt in exaggerated manners. The car barely looks like a car, so my son didn't care about it, even though he is crazy about cars. Illustrator is probably a pervert and it shows in the art.

Best Children's Book Ever

This book is amazing. My 6-year-old son loves it, and my wife and I quite enjoy it too. The artwork is beautifully done, colorful, crisp, and bright. The writing is superb too -- perfect rhythm and rhyme, but not forced; I dare say it's better than Dr. Seuss. And the concept of this book really captures the imagination: this amazing car and all that it can do. One thing I especially appreciate about it is that the car does not change from page to page; it's completely self-consistent, even though each page points out some amazing new feature. I also love the front and back inside cover -- they're covered with sketches, in the front showing earlier ideas for the car that didn't make the cut, and in the back, showing the final design, like a rough blueprint. We got this book from the library, but I'll be buying a copy, and looking for other books by the same author. No other children's book has ever impressed me like this one did.

Chris Van Dusen is King

As a Father of two children who shares the duties of reading to my young children, great illustrations are a must. In my opinion, Chris Van Dusen is king. Maybe Big King. Or Biggest. Possibly More Biggest King! Don't forget either that the guy also writes the things too! "If I Built a Car" has some of the most imaginative illustrations I have seen in a long time. Buy this book now. Words don't describe. But the pictures will!

Love it and all his others!

Mr. Van Dusen has done it again. Just perfect. I just love all his books. When your kids want you to read the same books over and over, these are great. I don't get tired of reading them. The illustrations are wonderful. In this one, the little boy has copies of Chris Van Dusen's books in his room and you meet up with Mr. Magee and Dee while driving your car on the lake. Perfect books! I can't wait for more.

If I Built A Car

The book is great - each of his books is great alone, but they each get better and better. I read it to a Kindergarten class and a second grade class and they all just loved it. The rhyming words and the great illustrations caught the attention of these young kids. It inspired them all to draw and design their own cars and what their car would do. Great series of books to own. Can't wait for the next one!