Potts, Nikki. My First Guide To Fast Vehicles.

Potts, Nikki. My First Guide To Fast Vehicles. Capstone Publishers      2017  24p   $25.32  ISBN 978-1-5157-3594-6  elem  Nonfiction  VG   

Elementary students who enjoy reading about race cars and fast vehicles will appreciate this new title in the My First Guides series.  Written in an easy-to-comprehend manner, students gain a basic understanding of high-speed land, air, and sea vehicles.  Students learn about ATV’s, helicopters, trains, hydroplanes, sport bikes, dragsters, race cars, and supercars. 

The author includes gorgeous color photographs, interesting facts, inter-mixed vocabulary definitions, a glossary of terms, a list of recommended books, a special code to use on FactHound to gain additional information, critical thinking questions using the Common Core, and an index.     

The series is My First Guides.  As of this review, six titles have been published for elementary students featuring fun facts  that introduce readers to military vehicles, robots, and other topics.

Summary: “Readers will have an up-close look at the fastest cars, trains, bikes and more. Includes fact boxes and full-color images of vehicles in action.”     

Automobiles, Racing; Transportation                   --Charleen Forba-MacCain

Smokin’ Open-Wheel Race Cars.

Egan, Erin.  Smokin’ Open-Wheel Race Cars.  Enslow/Speeding Star  2013  48p   $13.95  ISBN 978-1-62285-100-3  elem/ms      series: Fast Wheels  Sports  VG-BN 

Open-wheeled cars, their drivers, and the races they compete in are profiled.  All aspects of open-wheeled racing are described, including  the history, types of cars and tracks, strategies, and popular drivers. Illustrations are plentiful and add to the understanding of this style of racing.  A common theme throughout the book is the efforts to make the sport safer.  This book, and the rest of the series, is sure to engage young racing fans.  There is a great amount of detail in each chapter, clearly describing how the cars work and why the tracks are designed the way they are, so even the non-racing fan can understand the subject.  There are some sidebars that highlight specific pieces of equipment or historical moments.   A glossary, section on additional reading, and index are included.  Grades 4-9.     Fast Wheels is an engaging series for young automotive fans.

Summary: Open-wheeled cars, their drivers, and the races they compete in are profiled, including the history, types of cars and tracks, strategies, and popular drivers. 

Automobiles, Automobile racing                        --Stephanie Pennucci