THE UGLY TRUCKLING

A combination of The Ugly Duckling and Are You My Mother? with a problematic ending. Out west, a mother truck looks over her new “trucklings.” But one is not like the others: she has only three wheels, no flat bed, and two odd beams that stick out from her sides. After her brothers and sisters make fun of her, she runs away. On her journey, she asks a tractor, a cow, and a windmill if she’s one of them, but she’s not. Noticing her sadness, the windmill tells her that soon she’ll know exactly what she is. Sure enough, as she gazes into the pond, she sees a familiar reflection in the water and hears a roar overhead; she’s an airplane and finally she knows where she belongs. Children will recognize the motif in these pages, but the relationship with the mother truckling has no closure, which may leave adoptees or children who have vastly different personalities from their parents feeling insecure. Gordon’s illustrations capture the feel of western ranches well and the anthropomorphized trucks, tractors, and windmill are emotionally expressive. Not for every child, but a new rendition of a beloved fairy tale that will appeal to many. (Picture book. 3-7)