Good Morning! It’s a brand new day, and everybody in the city has something to do, somewhere to go. Who will help them get there?

Speedy, spunky TAXI, that’s who!

Look, here he is now 😀.

Cabs are resting in a line.
Wake up, Taxi. Rise and shine!
Fill the tank, Check the tires.
Roof light on — now for hire!

Taxi . . . GO!
Get on your way —
today will be a busy day!

In Taxi, Go!, a zippy new rhyming picture book by Patricia Toht and Maria Karipidou (Candlewick, 2024), we follow spiffy red Taxi from morning till night as he transports passengers young and old to a variety of destinations.

After his morning fuel-up, he first picks up a woman who can’t be late for an important business date. Taxi races ahead, weaving left and right through an alley-way as “Heavy rain comes crashing down.” When sirens wail, Taxi has to STOP! for an emergency rescue (cat up a tree).

Then it’s GO! once again, until they finally reach the woman’s high-rise “nice and dry.” No sooner has he dropped her off, then he picks up four more fares.

A street with shops.
Four fares more.
Shuttle folks
from store to door.

As the sun sets, he takes happy and excited passengers to a soccer game, a dance, and then a play. He then drops passengers off at the airport, stopping to wait for planes to land. For his final fare, he picks up an arriving family, who snuggle in the back seat, soon to nap.

Taxi crosses a bridge, passes a park, and arrives at a street “still and dark.” He gently stops once more to help the family to their door. Taxi then makes his way back to the depot, where he parks, dims his lights, turns off his motor. After a full, eventful day and a job well done, it’s off to dreamland for him.

Toht’s pitch perfect rollicking rhyme is such fun to read aloud, and readers will enjoy riding along from page to page with every STOP! and GO! She’s incorporated lots of details about how taxis operate, from roof lights, to meters counting miles with their “tick, tick, ticks,” to how they navigate traffic at stop lights and intersections, etc.

In her bright, colorful digital illustrations, Karipidou has populated the story with a diverse cast of characters, capturing the hustle and bustle of city life as individuals walk, run, play, wander, shop, converse, eat, and dance. There’s a nice feeling of community as they gather for their various activities.

And of course, her depiction of Taxi himself is hugely appealing with his big eyes, captivating facial expressions and upbeat personality. Kids cannot help but love him. We get the sense that Taxi is eager to please and enjoys his job, and munchkins will love studying the scenarios in every spread. Vehicle enthusiasts will have fun identifying various cars, vans, trucks, busses and shuttles as Taxi moves in and out of traffic.

Fast or slow, stop and go, hail this chipper cab for a great ride! 🙂

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TAXI, GO!
written by Patricia Toht
illustrated by Maria Karipidou
published by Candlewick Press, February 2024
Picture Book for ages 2-5, 32 pp.

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🌺 BOOK GIVEAWAY WINNER! 🌹

We are pleased to announce that the lucky person who has won a copy of The Little Books of the Little Brontës by Sara O’Leary and Briony May Smith is:

🥁 drum roll, please 🥁

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🎺 trumpet fanfare 🎺

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🎉 BRENDA SEABROOKE! 🎈

Congratulations, Brenda!

👏 👏 👏 👏 👏

And thanks to everyone who entered. Enjoyed all your comments!

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Lovely, luminous and legendary Linda Baie is hosting the Roundup at TeacherDance. Waltz on over to check out the full menu of poetic goodness being served up around the blogosphere this week. Happy March!!

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*Interior spreads text copyright © 2024 Patricia Toht, illustrations © 2024 Maria Karipidou, published by Candlewick Press. All rights reserved.

**Copyright © 2024 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.