The Story of Volkswagen Beetles (Classic Cars: An Imagination Library Series)

Gr. 1-3. With bright full-page photos and a focus on the history of each auto, these two entries in the Classic Cars series are heavy on eye-candy and simple, easily digestible information. Impalas traces the auto's evolution from a roomy, fun car marketed to young people into a gas-guzzling powerhouse and, finally, into an affordable, efficient family car. Beetles follows the history of the car from its introduction in 1935 and booming popularity in the '60s and '70s to its rebirth in 1998. Both volumes show the vehicles' places in pop-culture history, saving the text from becoming too generic: Beetles mentions the Herbie the Love Bug movies; Impalas touches on the low-rider movement. The Web site listings are the only drawback to an otherwise competently handled series: given all the resources on this subject now available, many of the choices here are forgettable. . Carlos Orellana
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