Traffic Jam

by George Mendoza, David Stoltz (Illustrator)

The insanity of a traffic jam explodes in this carton world of animals and creatures who seem to thrive on the combustible commotion.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1990

Reviews

[Tera Pate]

This book is a little crazy in all honesty.

It is about a traffic jam that includes such things as pigs riding in duck-drawn carts and rhinos on roller skates. It is definitely imaginative.

…in a wild way. The illustrations are a bit abstract, as in the chimpanzees are blue and kind of resemble aliens. They are honestly kind of fun in a weird way, but I could also see how they could be scary to some kids.

I am not sure there is really any educational value at all in this one. Honestly, it doesn’t even have a dependable rhyme scheme, so expecting it to teach a lesson is perhaps a bit much.

I have definitely read better kids’ books, but, I mean, points for intriguing oddity.

3 stars

[Emmett Griffo]

A few strange things happen while this boy is stuck in traffic with his family. It gets weird folks! The artwork, although original, is chaotic and confusing for a toddler to interpret. I spend more time explaining the pictures than reading the book. Maybe this book will work better as he gets older but I don't particularly enjoy reading it as an adult.