BULLDOZER FRIENDS

The star of the Digger Man (2003) books returns in this low-key paean to construction and friendship.

Fond as he is of his little brother, young Oliver doesn’t mind going to school because he has his friend Annie there. The two share a mutual love of building, drawing, trains, and other activities, but it’s during outside recess that they get to do what they really love: play with the toy construction vehicles in the sandbox. “We are a team. / We work together like a real construction crew,” says Oliver, operating a bulldozer as Annie does the same. In their imaginations, they actually drive trucks on a fanciful construction site over several double-page spreads until at last they are called back inside. The book deftly mirrors such social constructs as sharing (sometimes Annie plays with Oliver’s bulldozer), friendship, and respectful play for those readers who may still find trucks more interesting than other kids. Gender equality takes the spotlight since Oliver and Annie are on equal footing at all times. Bright, colorful paints and clear-cut images add to the book’s already considerable appeal. Oliver presents White, and Annie presents Black. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 59.1% of actual size.)

Friendship and bulldozers. What could be sweeter?