I particularly liked this one -- because it really hits the message that it's ok not to be good at everything, and that the strength of a village is in working together to solve problems. Poor Mama Coca-cola! So many trials with her home. So glad that No. 1 turns out with more good ideas as well. ( )

What a neat book! I got it to pass on to my daughter who teaches 5th grade in the Bronx, but on a whim, decided to read it to my six year old granddaughter. We did so in three sessions and she loved it. ( )

Oluwalase Babatunde Benson, better known as the No 1 Car Spotter because of his ability to spot and name the vehicles approaching his small African village, returns in this follow-up to his first chapter-book adventure, the eponymous The No 1 Car Spotter. In this installment of the series, No 1 uses his brain to help out with a number of village problems, including a nighttime leopard who is making off with the villagers' goats, the flood that has stranded the motorists who pass the village, and the disastrous consequences of Mama Coca-Cola's new "modern" house. His creative thinking and problem solving win him a prize he has longed for for some time: a visit and drive with the professor who drives the only Pontiac Firebird in the country...

I found The No 1 Car Spotter and the Firebird every bit as engaging and heartwarming as its predecessor, and quite a bit more amusing. I'm not sure why it took me a bit to warm up to this character - perhaps because I was too attached to Atinuke's Anna Hibiscus? - but now that I have, I really appreciate his good heart, eagerness to help, and problem-solving abilities. I continue to appreciate the depiction of No 1's village - how Atinuke captures the hardships sometimes faced, but also manages to show the warmth and community of the people, and the way in which the traditional lifestyle (in this case, the traditional huts used by the villagers) is better suited to the realities of the land. Recommended to anyone who read and enjoyed the first entry in the series. For my part, I hope the next four installments, which have thus far only been published in the UK, make their way stateside! ( )

I will have to find the other titles in the series. I quite liked the humor of No. 1's wildly dramatic family. No. 1 himself is an agreeable and optimistic boy, and while he's not perfect, he never gets too down on himself before finding a way to bounce back again with a clever idea. If you can approximate a Nigerian accent, this would be a fun read-aloud for young children. But even if you can't, it's still a great book for sharing or reading independently. ( )