THE HAPPY LITTLE GARBAGE TRUCK

When his town grows larger, a little garbage truck isn’t needed anymore until a friendly man comes looking for something small in this children’s picture book.

In a little community with one police station, one firehouse, a school, and some stores, a happy little garbage truck enjoys his useful life of making things tidy. He’s pleased by how schoolchildren stop their playing to watch him, and he likes the variety in his job. But time passes in the little community until it grows into a city, which needs several big garbage trucks. The little truck, now too small for the job, is put in a garage corner. He waits there sadly until, one day, a friendly mustachioed man comes by. He needs a little garbage truck, one that doesn’t cost too much, for his small community, and the truck is perfect! Together, they work to keep the man’s town clean, and both are happy. Though it’s a very simple story, in their debut book, Wright and Callender tap into children’s love of trucks and fascination with what they do. The truck’s modest joy in doing its job is a nice message for kids, as is the idea that a right fit can be found for him with patience and goodwill. The colorful, detailed illustrations imaginatively anthropomorphize the truck; human figures are diverse, solidly built, and reassuring. Although the frontmatter mentions additional resources, no link is provided.

An appealing, affirming tale for kids who like trucks.