by Peter Stein ; illustrated by Bob Staake ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 17, 2017
Put the pedal to the metal and track down these trucks for your favorite back-seat drivers.
Staake and Stein keep on truckin’ when madcap tomfoolery and heavy machinery go hand in hand.
Having rendered bereft of all dignity the worlds of automobiles (Cars Galore, 2011) and playthings (Toys Galore, 2013), the author and illustrator have clearly decided trucks at last must have their due. In bouncy, rhyming text, these kings of the road are described in a wide variety of ways. They are thin and wide, hot and cold, weak and strong, chock full of cows or pigs. What starts as a straightforward list becomes rapidly more imaginative, particularly when “outer-space” trucks descend unannounced and pirates fill their trucks with flounder. As in their previous collaborations, Staake meets Stein’s seemingly impossible descriptions (how do you draw a “bushy-beard truck”?) with aplomb, putting his highly original stamp on the proceedings. The brightly colored computer art endows each scene with a sometimes-frenzied energy. Though not quite as delightfully bonkers as their previous books, this is sure to lure in both hardcore preschool truck enthusiasts and their truck-curious compatriots as they pore over the details on every page.
Put the pedal to the metal and track down these trucks for your favorite back-seat drivers. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8978-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
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by Michael Whaite ; illustrated by Michael Whaite ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2019
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their...
Less ambitious than Chris Gall’s widely known Dinotrux (2009) and sequels, this British import systematically relegates each dinosaur/construction-equipment hybrid to its most logical job.
The title figures are introduced as bigger than both diggers and dinosaurs, and rhyming text and two construction-helmeted kids show just what these creatures are capable of. Each diggersaur has a specific job to do and a distinct sound effect. The dozersaurus moves rocks with a “SCRAAAAPE!!!” while the rollersaurus flattens lumps with a cheery “TOOT TOOT!!” Each diggersaur is numbered, with 12 in all, allowing this to be a counting book on the sly. As the diggersaurs (not all of which dig) perform jobs that regular construction equipment can do, albeit on a larger scale, there is no particular reason why any of them should have dinosaurlike looks other than just ’cause. Peppy computer art tries valiantly to attract attention away from the singularly unoriginal text. “Diggersaurs dig with bites so BIG, / each SCOOP creates a crater. // They’re TOUGH and STRONG / with necks so long— / they’re super EXCAVATORS!” Far more interesting are the two human characters, a white girl and a black boy, that flit about the pictures offering commentary and action. Much of the fun of the book can be found in trying to spot them on every two-page spread.
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their dino/construction kicks. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-4779-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
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by Michael Whaite ; illustrated by Michael Whaite
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 22, 2019
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph
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