bookshelf

SAM AND THE CONSTRUCTION SITE

Name: SAM AND THE CONSTRUCTION SITE
Author: Tjibbe Veldkamp
ISBN: 978-1-935954-49-1

by Tjibbe Veldkamp ; illustrated by Alice Hoogstad ; translated by Ineke Lenting ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2016

Readers will surely enjoy a few visits to this construction site.

bookshelf

Fascinated by its big machines, Sam spends his days peering into a construction site.

The young lad wonders whether he’ll ever get his hands on the steamroller and the cement truck, wondering longingly, “What if I could drive those machines?” Each time the construction workers eat lunch, the boss tasks Sam with two big responsibilities: he must stay at the gate and prevent anyone from entering the site and call the police if anyone does. During lunchtime one day, two older kids tease Sam and convince him to enter the construction site just as a suspicious car with shadowy occupants passes nearby. “All right,” says Sam. “I’ll go in, but then you must call the police.” Through a strong union of words and pictures, Veldkamp and Hoogstad construct an understated, slyly subtle narrative full of joy and charm. Once Sam enters the construction site, he sets off a string of seemingly bewildering actions. He flattens the mysterious car, pours concrete in front of the local bank, and uses the crane to lift up the police car on its way. The illustrations—figures and machinery constructed with smooth, rounded lines and brush strokes of color—contrast nicely against white backdrops. Here the book’s tall portrait orientation provides ample space for Sam’s antics, which put an end to a bank robbery. Sam, it turns out, is a hero. All the characters, robbers included, in this Dutch import are white.

Readers will surely enjoy a few visits to this construction site. (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: April 1, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-935954-49-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Lemniscaat USA

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
TOM THE TAMER
by Tjibbe Veldkamp & illustrated by Philip Hopman

bookshelf

LITTLE BLUE TRUCK LOST AND FOUND

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 2026

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.

bookshelf

Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.

After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026

ISBN: 9780063436121

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

bookshelf

HOW TO CATCH A MONSTER

From the How To Catch… series

by Adam Wallace ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2017

Only for dedicated fans of the series.

bookshelf

When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.

“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.

Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)