Me, Dad, & Number 6

New York Times sports editor Jennings's first picture book is a nostalgic early 1940s race car story. ""Number 6"" is the 1937 Pontiac that Andy's millworker dad has rebuilt for racing. Andy narrates with a vernacular that is both working class and eloquent. The beautifully imagistic language that drops from this rural child's mouth never rings false. His story charts the building of the car, its races and a final crash from which Dad escapes with bruised ribs. Number 6 is ""mangled... like some wicked knot in your shoelace that you couldn't untie in a million years."" Andy cries, but his father reminds him, ""We had a lot of fun... we had us one big ball."" Sasaki, also making his children's book debut, adopts a highly unusual style of watercolor so imbued with purplish tones the paintings feel like old photo negatives. Every color looks stained and sun-bleached, yet every line is sharp. For car nuts, young and old, this road trip is worth taking. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)