TWO BULLDOZER BUDDIES

Two bulldozers help stop a forest fire in Kuprienko’s picture book adventure.

Bulldozers Ron and Del live in a garage in Alaska. Ron is big and strong, while Del is small and quick; they’re a great team and great friends. One day, Ron sees a dark cloud in the distance; small Del can’t see it until they climb the next hill. When they arrive, they realize it’s smoke from a forest fire. First responders are already on site, trying to put out the flames. Ron and Del want to help, “But what can two bulldozer buddies do? We push dirt, we move rocks but we can’t fight fires!” Ron laments. Quick-thinking Del realizes that moving rocks—into a firebreak wall—might be exactly what the firefighters need. With the increase in forest fires around the world in the last several years, this debut feels timely, and the bulldozers, who want to help and won’t give up, are an inspiring duo. Kuprienko keeps the text spare with an accessible vocabulary for emergent readers. Kudriavtseva’s cartoon illustrations are reminiscent of other anthropomorphic construction-vehicle books, focusing on the windshield facial expressions of the two trucks while including animal details in the backgrounds. Young lap readers will enjoy spotting bald eagles and caribou among the trees.

A heroic and easily accessible adventure for the very young.