trucks

Review: Machines Go to Work in the City by William Low

| Tasha

machines go to work in the city

Machines Go to Work in the City by William Low

This is an inventive look at machines, combining it with large flaps to open and questions to engage.  Low looks at one machine after another that works in the city and then asks a question about it.  The questions are not simple either, this is not a book that talks down to its young audience.  Instead you have to think a bit.  Do the garbage men go home after picking up the garbage?  Can the crane operator still work when the building grows taller than the crane?  Is the airplane ready to leave when the passengers are on board and the baggage is loaded?  Little listeners get to turn the flap to learn the answer and the reason. The answer is given with a quick explanation and then the book moves on to the next machine. It’s just enough information for a preschooler to really enjoy.

Low has created a brisk pace here, never lingering too long and offering exactly the right amount of information.  This makes the book very readable, something that can be happily shared at bedtime unlike a lot of nonfiction vehicle books.  More information on each machine is offered at the end of the book, complete with labeled parts.  Those are pages that young truck fans will linger on.

Low’s illustrations are richly colored.  The painted textures add to them with some pages having individual bricks done solely in texture alone.  At other times, the sleek metal stands out. 

A great pick for your own little machine fan or for public library shelves.  Don’t let the flaps scare you off, they are large and just as durable as a regular page.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Demolition by Sally Sutton

| Tasha

demolition

Demolition by Sally Sutton, illustrated by Brian Lovelock

There has been a movement recently to create some very original and fresh construction and truck books.  Before that, it was a bit of a desert of naming big trucks, telling how they work, and leaving it at that.  This book is one of the best of those new, fresh books about construction vehicles.  In rhyming lines, it tells the story of the demolition of a building.  It begins with the people getting ready, moves to the wrecking ball, then the excavator and its tearing jaws.  There are stone crushers and wood shredders.  Trucks are loaded and clear the site, then they start to build something.  Something with slides, monkey bars, and plenty of fun.

The rhyme and rhythm of this picture book really make it work.  It has a bouncy rhythm that makes the book ideal for toddlers.  The rhyming lines finish on each set of pages with noisy words that bring the work site to life.  Add to that the appeal of knocking something down and then building something new, and you have brought a toddler dream to life.  The illustrations have a great texture to them that evokes the dust and dirt of demolition.  They avoid being too cartoon-like and instead use different vistas on the project to allow young readers to see more than they could of in real life.

One of the most appealing construction or destruction books around, this belongs in every library collection.  It will also be appreciated by librarians and teachers who have long been looking for construction books worth sharing in a story time setting.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Little Bird by Germano Zullo

| Tasha

little bird

Little Bird by Germano Zullo, illustrated by Albertine

Released April 1, 2012.

Winner of the 2011 Prix Sorcieres for illustration, the French Caldecott medal, this book is an impressive example of the magic of illustration and only a few select words.  A man drives his red truck up to the edge of a cliff and opens the back, releasing several amazing birds.  When he glances into the truck, he sees one bird left behind.  The man tries to tell the bird where to head and that it should fly, but the bird just looks at him.  The two sit together and the man shares his sandwich with the little bird.  The man shows the bird again where to head and how to fly, landing on his face.  The bird spreads its wings and flies away, joining the other birds the man had let go.  The man watches the bird fly off, heads back into his truck and drives off.  What seems like the end of the story is actually just the beginning.

Zullo has chosen his words carefully, letting the story really be told via the illustrations.  The words offer a touch of guidance to the depth of the work, the deeper meaning of the simple story.  They speak to the importance of noticing small things and how those small things are the true treasures in life.  It’s a message that will speak to children and adults alike, in very different ways.

Albertine’s art is wonderfully bright and filled with playful moments.  From the sunny yellow ground, the robin’s egg blue sky and the red truck, there is plenty of zing in these pictures.  As the story is told in the illustrations, the relationship between bird and man is also shown just in pictures.  The looks, the moments of connection, the departure, all add up to moments that lead to the magical conclusion.

An impressive picture book that is modern, fresh and will have readers looking for tiny treasures in their lives too.  Appropriate for ages 5-adult.

Reviewed from copy received from Enchanted Lion Books.

Book Review: Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker

| Tasha

goodnightconstructionsite

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker & Tom Lichtenheld

This is an ideal bedtime book for all those truck-loving toddlers and preschoolers!  The book starts with the trucks all working hard during the day, then it’s sunset and time for the trucks to end their work days.  Each truck has its work explained and then its bedtime ritual too.  Crane Truck folds his boom in, holds his teddy, and dangles a nightlight.  Cement Mixer takes a bath then falls asleep under a blanket dreaming of twirling again.  Bulldozer curls into his soft dirt bed.  The book ends with a drowsy, quiet tone that is perfect for getting children’s wheels to stop turning.

Told in rhyming verse, the book has two tones that work well together.  There is the daytime activity part for each truck that bustles along.  Then that changes as they ready for bed to a quieter, slower tone.  The rhymes and rhythm are done skillfully so they read aloud really well.

The illustrations have a great friendliness to them and a humor that adds a great touch to the book.  Often the small touches are not mentioned in the text, like Crane’s teddy bear.  But these are the moments that will draw children even further into the story, softening the harshness of trucks into a bedtime story.

If there’s a truck fan in your family, this is a great pick for a bedtime story.  Drive it to the top of your pile of story time truck reads as well.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Check out the book trailer:

Monkey Truck: Ingenious Mash Up

| Tasha

monkeytruck

Monkey Truck by Michael Slack

Whenever there is trouble in the jungle, Monkey Truck races to the rescue!  He saves small lizards from crushing elephant feet.  He rescues big hippos from a shrinking and muddy water hole.  He grinds gears to get the job done with his truck bed filled to bursting.  He is Monkey Truck!  Fueled by bananas and always ready to go, he is the hero of the jungle.

This book grew on me once I got into the story.  It has a frenetic pace that toddler will enjoy immensely.  It also obviously has its own screwball humor from the premise alone!  That humor is really what makes this book work so well.  From fart jokes to bouncing stacks of muddy hippos, there is plenty of laughter to be found here.

The book has been printed on thicker pages, making it an ideal transition book for toddlers from board books to picture books.  This is clearly a book that is meant for very young children who just might demand why they can’t have a monkey truck of their very own!

If you do a toddler story time at your library or work with a toddler group, this is a book that will really work when shared out loud.  Be prepared to mash your animal sounds with engine noises and your young listeners will be sure to enjoy it!  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt.

You can check out the wordless trailer for the book below:

Also reviewed by:

The Trucker

| Tasha

9780374378042

The Trucker by Barbara Samuels

Ever since he was very little, Leo was a trucker.  He loved trucks, playing with them, reading books about them, and was distracted by all of the trucks outside when he went on a walk with his mother.  Unfortunately, while he was looking at a toy fire truck in a store window, his mother was looking at something else.  And that’s how they got a cat, that they named Lola.  Though Leo’s mother got Lola a brush, a cat bed, and a toy, she was much more interested in Leo and his trucks.  Leo ignored her and tried to play without her.   Until one day when the toy fire trucks were trying to stop a blaze, Lola jumped in and saved Leo’s stuffed bunny.  Leo made Lola his deputy and from then on out they were truckers together.

The mix of pet and trucks here works well.  It is a truck book that has more of a story than most, giving lots of colorful truck eye-candy but also mixing in the frustration of having a bothersome pet.  Samuels nicely mixes in visual humor (even a scene in the bathroom for gleeful giggles) with the humor of the text.  Her art is bright and vibrant, set against white backgrounds that really make it pop visually. 

This is a truck book that can be happily used at a story time, something that can be hard to find!  Happily it can be enjoyed by children who are not truck-crazy as well.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Farrar Straus Giroux.

I Am a Backhoe

| Tasha

I Am a Backhoe by Anna Grossnickle Hines

A perfect book for toddlers who love trucks, this book invitingly combines imaginative play and real trucks.  The little boy plays pretending to be a backhoe, a bulldozer, a roller, a flatbed truck, and more.  As he plays, he describes what he is doing and then the reader gets to guess what kind of truck he is pretending to be.  Printed on thick paper with bright, clear illustrations, this book is a welcome addition to even the most crowded of truck shelves.

Written in simple rhymes that have a gentle rhythm, children will enjoy guessing what truck the boy is pretending to be.  The digital art is simple and welcoming as well, especially for the youngest children who will quickly be able to “read” this book to themselves.  Done in rich and deep colors, the illustrations will work well with a group, thanks to the clarity of the illustrations. 

Ideal for toddler story time or for sharing one-on-one, this book is sure to find an audience in your library.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Little Dump Truck

| Tasha

The Little Dump Truck by Margery Cuyler, illustrated by Bob Kolar

This is a bouncy, cozy book about one small dump truck and the work he does every day.  Told in the voice of the truck, readers will get to see the truck drive along roads, dump its load, and get filled once more to do it all again.  Along the way, readers get to meet other hardworking machines and vehicles.  All of the vehicles and people have happy smiles that match the jolly rhymes.

Cuyler has written a rhyming book that has a great rhythm and wonderful sense of play.  Young readers will find themselves right at home in the bouncy world of big trucks.  Kolar’s art filled with big grins brings the rhyme to life.  The bright colored illustrations were done on computer but have none of the over-textured feel of some computer-generated art.  Instead Kolar has managed to create a rather vintage feel that mimics the style of children’s toys.

A great addition to the large collection of truck-themed picture books, this book will work best with toddlers.  It is printed on thicker paper, so it will stand up to small hands that may not be so gentle.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by Becky at Young Readers.