A stray dog's outlook takes a quick turn for the better when Jim, a New York City taxi driver, offers him a name, friendship, and a place in the front seat. Maxi describes with infectious doggy delight the satisfactions of life on wheels: the unusual fares, the pleasure of both helping and entertaining people in a hurry, and of wearily dropping the cab off at the garage after a long day. Buehner uses an oil-over-acrylic technique that gives each scene a subtle, lively play of light and color. The figures have a rounded solidity reminiscent of Van Allsburg's work, and are seen from a dog's/bird's-eye view, or some other unusual angle, against busy, idealized (the cabs are all in perfect condition) cityscapes. Background detail and byplay (including a small cat that seems to follow the cab around) will keep young readers glued to the illustrations. Alas, the engaging story idea (based on a real encounter) and brilliant pictures are chained to a singsong text in verse that combines pedestrian language with tediously long sentences, some of which exist only to make a rhyme . "Jim said, 'Your name's Maxi, / You'll ride in my taxi, /We'll ride all over the town. / We'll go riding uptown and down."' Flawed but appealing. --John Peters, New York Public Library Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.