Mitchell's License

In this charming book about a rambunctious preschooler, and his "drive" toward sleep - I believe that the book was actually published as Driving to Bed in Australia - author Hallie Durand and illustrator Tony Fucile capture the loving bond between father and son, and the creative solution to bedtime resistance dreamt up by one loving parent. Mitchell - four years, one month, and five days old - was always running away, when his father tried to ready him for bed, until the night that dad suggested that Mitchell could drive there. And thus was born a nightly ritual, in which Mitchell and his car (AKA Dad) made their way - with plenty of stops and starts, loud noises and almost accidents - toward the inevitable end to the day...

I'm so glad show more that Mitchell's License was chosen as one of our June selections, over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "fathers," as I might never have picked it up otherwise! I don't think I've run across any of Hallie Durand or Tony Fucile's work before, and I'm not convinced I would have picked this one up, had I seen it at the library. Yet another example of The Picture-Book Club expanding my horizons, in this particular genre! This was just a charming tale, heartwarming and humorous! I particularly appreciated the fact that, although this is clearly a loving father-son relationship, it isn't a completely permissive one - when Mitchell tries to use chocolate-chip cookies as "gas," in the course of the game, his car puts his foot down - as I think that setting limits for children is sometimes viewed almost as a form of cruelty these days. (Whereas not setting limits is the true cruelty, in my view). Entertaining, engaging, and highly recommended! show less

I checked this out because I really love Tony Fucile's art style. The book was not a disappointment! It's adorable and sweet and a great story with great illustrations. It's about a little boy who doesn't want to go to bed until his dad gives him a "license" to drive (Dad is the car). It has a lot of humor and heart. The large pictures and quick text will make this good for read-alouds too. Don't be surprised if it's on one of my storytime lists soon!

Preschool - Kindergarten

Youngsters will enjoy the familiar theme of not wanting to go to bed. Mitchell's father, in a burst of inspiration, entices the not-quite-four-year-old with the promise that he can drive himself to bed. Mitchell gets in the driver's seat (dad's shoulders), cleans the windshield (dad's glasses), and quickly learns the art of steering. The story is fresh, but it's the illustrations by Tony Fucile (Bink and Gollie) that really rev up the vitality and will have kids begging to hear the story over and over. The fact that Mitchell's mom and dad are of different ethnic backgrounds adds a nice touch.

Trust an animator to make illustrations come alive. Mitchell's constant motion and joy really come across in the fun book. Parents of young children beware - you will get your exercise after reading this to your kids- but read it anyway it's great!

Hilarious and heartwarming indeed. Mitchell is a lucky little boy to have such wonderful parents. I liked that it was long enough to include all the details - Mitchell learned to drive, and Dad learned to be a car, too.

Also I liked the family. Kind of a mixed-race thing going, but it's just there, not given focus. I get the impression, maybe from the picture of mom carrying the laptop computer, that this is inspired by her own family.

Oh, wait, I checked the end-flap - it *is* based on a true family story! How wonderful.

Mitchell doesn’t like to go to bed until his dad lets him start driving. Mitchell drives his car (his dad) to bed, sitting in the driver’s seat (his dad’s shoulders), cleaning off the windshield (his dad’s glasses), and beeping the horn (his dad’s nose).

Funny cartoon pictures of a child having a delightful time with his dad.

“They had driven a long way when Mitchell noticed that the gas tank was on Empty.
‘You need gas,’ said Mitchell.
Mitchell and his car took three right turns, then a left, and beeped the horn six times.
Mitchell turned on his headlights and pulled up to the cookie jar.
‘This is the gas station,’ he said.”

He goes on his dads shoulders and pretends to drive around his house. Tony Fucile's illustrations narrate the book for the most part. There are few words in the book but the illustrations provide a visual to the warm and silly story that is told. Mitchell wants to drive and be mature pretending he his the driver in the house as he bonds with his dad.