From the creators of I Stink! (2002) and I’m Mighty! (2003) comes Backhoe Loader, a construction vehicle that is ready for business. Its backside contains a boom, a dipper stick, a bucket and some pretty sharp teeth, and its front features steel arms, hydraulic rams and a giant ladder bucket. Initially spotless, Backhoe Loader is transported to his destination via flatbed truck and quickly gets to work cleaning up a junkyard. After all the tires, bicycles, couches, toilet seats and even a washing machine are collected and placed in a dumpster, it’s time to get really dirty. Backhoe Loader pulls up a tree stump, takes a mud bath, fills in a hole, and smoothes it all out. Now the lot is sparkling clean, and Backhoe Loader is anything but. Readers will delight in the jaunty backhoe and appreciate his gruff silliness. Full of kid appeal, this is sure to be a favorite with reluctant readers, those who revel in mud and all who love trucks. (Picture book. 4-8)
