Labeling everything from the dirt hopper to the safety light, the endpapers set the stage with basic blueprints of the street sweeper. “The biggest, fastest, most powerful truck . . . is not the street sweeper.” So it begins, and in spare words, spends the next several pages detailing what this machine isn’t by contrasting it with other work vehicles. The bulldozer pushes things out of the way while the sweeper must go around; the electromagnetic crane can pick up two-ton automobiles, but the sweeper can pick up, well, a gum wrapper; and the sweeper can only squirt a small puddle of water compared to the tons of concrete a boom pump can jet. The reader’s heart softens towards this underdog until reminded that the street sweeper, too, has a very specialized and unique job. The illustrations deliver creamy colors corralled by clean lines. The vehicles are drawn within uncluttered landscapes and all driven by wee animals that care for them with pride. In this little delight, Moore honors the common, but far from average, making even the most ordinary seem extraordinary. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-8050-7789-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2006
In the newest installment of Audrey and Bruce Wood’s alphabet series, Charley goes to visit his grandparents for the summer, and his lowercase letters go on vacation to Alphabet City, the place where they were born. There, the lowercase letters are excited to see a new fire truck—until they are told that they are too small to use it. Wandering around, they find an abandoned fire truck, clean off the m-u-d themselves and proceed to save a c-a-t from a tree. Suddenly, the factory where all letters are made catches fire, and the capital letters’ truck’s tire blows out. It’s up to the lowercase letters to save the day and work together with the capital letters to squelch the flames—and return home in time to help Charley write a thank-you note to his grandparents. While the plot is a trifle thin, the hyper-realistic artwork, the bright colors, the spelling puzzles and the inventive use of letters within the text will no doubt appeal to children just becoming familiar with their ABCs. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-439-85316-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A young boy is very excited because today is the day that his father is going to drive from far away to pick him up from school—in a tanker truck. The boy can almost hear the truck coming. But first there are things to do. After an excited goodbye to his mother, the boy goes to school. The day crawls by even though he enjoys himself playing games and painting pictures. Eagerly anticipating his father’s arrival, the boy imagines Daddy driving toward him, traveling the tunnels, hurrying down a hill, carefully crossing a bridge and maneuvering through traffic. Finally, the school day is over, but the boy’s father is running late. When is he coming? Then the truck screeches to a halt in front of the school; father and son are reunited and overjoyed. Colorful, sketchy watercolors and playful, rhymed text tell the boy’s story and show the father’s journey and happy arrival. A respectable addition to any truck collection. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-8075-8914-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2006
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