HUSH LITTLE DIGGER

Olson-Brown borrows the tune of “Hush Little Baby” and adapts it for the benefit of the automotive-obsessed youngster. Engines rumble to life with, “Hush little digger, don’t say a word, / Papa’s gonna scoop you a pile of dirt. / And if that dirt starts to overflow, / Papa’s gonna find you a red backhoe.” There are occasions throughout where the tempo sputters a bit with jittery rhymes or an overabundance of syllables. Still, the ride is made worthy by White’s pictures with cartoon vibrancy and nimble, witty tidbits. While father, with his slick, black pompadour, and son frolic in and out of various heavy machinery, the illustrations are popping with details to attract the fancy of youngsters, like ogle-eyed worms, bountiful balls, a dump truck brimming with chickens and various funky creatures. Not as cleverly crafted as Daniel Kirk’s Hush Little Alien (1999), but for those children with a vehicle mania, this illustrated lullaby will drive away the blues. (Picture book. 2-5)