cover image Red Light Stop, Green Light Go

Red Light Stop, Green Light Go

Andrew Kulman. Simon & Schuster, $15 (1pp) ISBN 978-0-671-79493-4

This picture book takes as its simple premise ``Everyone waits at the traffic light.'' And so here they are: passenger cars, sporty racing vehicles (``some are fast''), boys on skateboards (``some are slow''), a tow truck, a two-spread-long limousine bearing a motley assemblage and so forth. The fast, short text (seldom more than 10 words to a spread) makes use of kid-pleasing phrases: ``Police car sirens say, `let us through, let us through,' / and fire engines say, `make way, make way.' '' In large, loosely drawn images, Kulman displays a fluid style and a fondness for broad, exaggerated characters--a thug narrowly avoids the cops; a nimble rabbit performs various functions amidst the traffic. The colors, however--which evoke a 1930s lithograph--seem dulled by the gray paper underneath. (Also, the sophistication of Kulman's palette may be lost on the intended audience.) But the elongated figures, sweeping curves and firm lines move across the pages in propulsive fashion, making this a satisfying read-aloud or see-up-close book. Ages 2-5. (Apr.)