Number One Sam by Greg Pizzoli (review)

Sam is definitely used to being number one: the pointy-nosed pup and his zippy red rodster win every race. One day, though, his friend Maggie the elephant beats him out in a flash finish, leaving Sam unsure of himself and nervous for the next race. He breaks ahead quickly but—oh no! Five bespectacled chicks are in the track! Sam stops to usher the interlopers to safety, and the other racers—including a cleverly placed cameo of the croc from Pizzoli’s breakout hit The Watermelon Seed (BCCB 6/13)—fly by, only to cheer his heroism when he reaches the finish line last. The lesson that there’s more to life than winning is perhaps more trite here than in Manceau’s recent The Race (BCCB 5/14), but it is effectively conveyed in spare and approachable prose and sweetens the peppy racecar plot for a pleasant readaloud. Pizzoli’s screen-printed illustrations in vivid spot colors of aqua, gold, and cherry create a groovy ’50s colorway—complemented with design details like starbursts and eye-popping background washes—will be equally enjoyed far away in a storytime audience or up close and personal. These retro elements combine with the animals’ fuzzy outlines and wide-eyed naïveté recall a slightly blockier P. D. Eastman, and the simple text recalls those easy readers as well. With its appeal to both racecar enthusiasts and fans of quiet heroism, this will zoom off shelves, so be sure to stock up.