A dump truck, a hole in the road, a bit of counting practice—all give post-toddlers plenty of reason to toot their horns in this dog-gone lively episode from the creators of Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo (1999). “ ‘Help! Please help!’ ” the driver pleads, “ ‘Does anyone know / how to make / my stuck truck go?’ ” With big, bright oils over sand and plaster, Kirk depicts an all-dog (but not all canine: see below) cast of passing motorists lining up to lend a paw. But not even one, two, three, four, five roaring engines can budge the truck, until at long last a tow truck rumbles up to add the needed oomph. That—and the fact that all along a horde of gleeful prairie dogs has been surreptitiously offloading the truck’s load of mouthwatering bones. Featuring the deepest pothole since the one that snared Judy Hindley’s Big Red Bus (1995), this gives The Enormous Turnip and like tales an updated setting. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-7868-0534-X
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2002
Part of a spate of books intent on bringing the garbage collectors in children’s lives a little closer, this almost matches...
Listeners will quickly take up the percussive chorus—“Dump it in, smash it down, drive around the Trashy town! Is the trash truck full yet? NO”—as they follow burly Mr. Gilly, the garbage collector, on his rounds from park to pizza parlor and beyond.
Flinging cans and baskets around with ease, Mr. Gilly dances happily through streetscapes depicted with loud colors and large, blocky shapes; after a climactic visit to the dump, he roars home for a sudsy bath.
Part of a spate of books intent on bringing the garbage collectors in children’s lives a little closer, this almost matches Eve Merriam’s Bam Bam Bam (1995), also illustrated by Yaccarino, for sheer verbal and visual volume. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: April 30, 1999
ISBN: 0-06-027139-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
Kids will come for the construction vehicles and leave with some social-emotional skills.
Anthropomorphic trucks and construction vehicles work through big feelings.
“I’m Cranky,” announces a yellow crane—that’s our protagonist’s name and state of mind. It’s a big day at the construction site; everyone’s completing work on the construction of a new bridge. Friends like Zippy the cement mixer and Wheezy the forklift encourage Cranky to cheer up. But their positivity only makes Cranky feel worse. Cranky eats alone at lunch and feels increasingly isolated as the day goes on. When Zippy and Wheezy express concern, Cranky suddenly becomes even more upset: “Asking me what’s wrong makes me feel like it’s not okay for me to be cranky!” The others back off, and slowly, the grouchy crane’s mood starts to improve. And the friends are right there when Cranky is ready to open up. Bright colors, adorably anthropomorphic vehicles, and layouts that alternate between vignettes and full-page spreads will hold readers’ attention through what is a mostly introspective narrative. Tran imparts some solid messages, such as the importance of giving pals the space they need and communicating your needs, even if you choose not to share everything. Some of the nuance will be lost on younger readers, but the story will spark conversations with others. Construction puns such as “self-of-steam” should get some chuckles from older kids and adults.
Kids will come for the construction vehicles and leave with some social-emotional skills. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780063256286
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
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