Common Sense Media Review
Movie retread will only interest Cars fans.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Racing car McQueen is trapped in a small town where he eventually makes friends with other cars.
Is It Any Good?
Skimpy on plot or characterization, this beginner's book won't mean much to kids who haven't seen Cars. Even parents who saw and liked the film will be hard-pressed to read this book out loud more than once. Even so, kids who are Cars fans will probably like revisiting the story.
Part of the Random House Step Into Reading series, DRIVING BUDDIES is written in large type and short sentences and is accessible to beginning readers. The series is designed for kids who can recognize some words by sight and are ready to try to sound out others. Movie tie-ins aren't known for their inspired illustrations or text, and this short book is no exception. However if you have kids who loved the movie and could use a push toward reading confidence, it might be worth adding to your library.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about this book as an extension of the movie. What are your favorite characters? Does this book complement the movie? Which is more engaging?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Disney Storybook Artists
- Genre : For Beginning Readers
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Random House
- Publication date : April 25, 2006
- Number of pages : 32
- Last updated : November 15, 2019
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate