Sam the dog learns there's more than one way to win in this second charming picture book from the winner of the 2014 Geisel Award (for most distinguished beginning reader).
In a predominantly blue, red and yellow palette, black-and-white pooch Sam proves again and again he's number one: "He was number one in speed. He was number one at turns." Greg Pizzoli conveys his hero's velocity via buildings that lean back, and his skillful turns with the U-shape of Sam's red sports car (#1, naturally). The pooch was also "number one at finishing races in the number-one spot," beneath a spray of multi-colored confetti. Fans of The Watermelon Seed will recognize the crocodile competitor; the others include a yellow hen and Sam's best friend, an elephant named Maggie. But when Sam loses to Maggie, his cheeks flush with embarrassment, and he can't bring himself to cheer for her. At their next race, he doesn't even wish Maggie luck (his sports car now reads "#2"). But when Sam takes the lead, he sees five yellow chicks crossing the track! Sam knows there's only one way to save them: he sacrifices the race. But as last-place Sam escorts the chicks to safety, he realizes the crowd is cheering for him.
Children will savor discovering details that go unstated in the text, such as the chicks flocking to a fellow driver in Sam's race. The crocodile may get the trophy for this race, but the hen gets her chicks back, and Sam's happy reunion with Maggie will lift everyone's spirits. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness