Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsLazy and not that interesting
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 28, 2013
I picked this up for 2 reasons. First off I was tired of my twin girls getting books about what noises different animals make and wanted something a bit more grounded in stuff they see every day. And secondly the number of 5-star reviews.
But I'm afraid 'First 100 Machines' left me pretty disappointed. Each double page spread has several small pictures of different trains, cars, planes etc and a gives each one a name. And that's about it. No information about them, no additional pictures, no interesting graphics, just 1 photo each and a list. And the photos don't really offer any way to differentiate some of the machines since they're not in scale.
And my girls seem to sense the laziness, this book does not hold their interest at all.
Some of the names are a bit odd, usually Priddy just gives a generic example and name, but for some odd reason Jeeps, Hummers and the Eurostar are specifically named. Some common vehicles like limos, minivans and station wagons are missing but obscure ones are included. And does anyone really call compact cars coupes?
Now I've given negative reviews before and been surprised a few months later when the girls' tastes changed and a book became a sudden hit, so I may revisit this review, but for now 100 Machines leaves me unimpressed.
