00015181

Lightning is a racecar who races an Italian car three times—in Japan, Italy, and Radiator Springs—to see who is faster. A level one easy reader, the vocabulary used is limited to mostly one-syllable words, giving new readers a chance to read on their own. The illustrations are consistent with the Disney-Pixar movie that the book is based off of; they are sharp, computer-generated, cartoon images. The illustrations are surprisingly detailed and the Japanese writing in the backgrounds of the pictures in Japan is true to the language. Despite the precise, thorough illustrations that accompany the text, the story is horrendous. It is a level one easy reader, but that does not mean there can be no plot, which is the case with this book. Readers are given no information about the antagonist car from Italy (except the fact that it comes from Italy) and the story is incredibly anticlimactic. Who will win ever-important race number three? Good question…because the author did not know, either. Readers who already enjoy the Disney Cars 2 franchise may enjoy this book because it is familiar, but there is nothing to bring in others who are not familiar with the Cars movies. ( )

8150