I Heard a Vroom! Vroom! in My Bedroom by Eva Cole
Eva Cole’s I Heard a Vroom! Vroom! in My Bedroom is what could be described as a dream narrative for kids, written in a loose rhyming couplet form. Featuring Hot Rod Fred – a sportscar bed – and its occupant, Ted, who is slipping off into sleep one evening when he hears a vroom vroom in his room, the car-bed takes off into the night with his charge on board. Ted is told not to fear his space-bound vehicle, and is instructed on how to travel safely within the confines of this imaginative mode of transport. The pair encounter engine problems due to galactic gloop – perhaps a nod towards environmentalism, or the issue of light pollution? (the car itself appears to run on a very green, sweet fuel!) – but once repairs are effected, the adventure continues. The story’s imaginative, illustrated journey could be read as metaphor for any number of issues, and it has a multicultural message at its core. Like all great dreams, it ends on a high leaving the reader wanting more. Alongsid...