A charming tale that offers parents an opportunity to teach their young children about the versatility of trucks.
A large-print debut picture book showcases the many tasks that Bobcat trucks can accomplish.
“This is Bob. His full name is Bobcat!” exclaims the enthusiastic introductory caption in this volume. The work consists of nearly full-page color photos of various Bobcat trucks accompanied by brief captions, typically a sentence or two. With the second caption noting, “Bob comes in many shapes,” the text then proceeds to focus largely on these vehicles’ numerous capabilities—how they can scoop snow, lift blocks, build walls, lay pipe, etc. The last caption presents a culmination of the celebration: “Bob on the job! With help, a tread, and a scoop, he scoops dirt!” The book also provides a sprinkling of holiday themes, with one photo revealing a Bobcat with a “Happy Mother’s Day” sign on it and the caption explaining, “Bob works on Mother’s Day,” and another page displaying a Bobcat planting a Christmas tree. Many of the photos include construction-type workers with the Bobcats, although one page features a photo of a child at the wheel of a Bobcat with an accompanying caption underscoring the importance of people in operating this vehicle: “Bob needs help to go.” In similar fashion, there are pages dedicated to depicting a Bobcat being towed to a job and a worker pushing along a truck with the caption “Bob helped on the job.” Gebhart, who holds graduate degrees in operations management and science education, demonstrates his love of the science of machinery in this tale focused on—and excited about—the multidimensional functionality of these vehicles. The author’s deft shortening of Bobcat to “Bob” makes these trucks anthropomorphic and accessible to his target audience. Gebhart could have dug even deeper to develop this book, perhaps with more details about the different Bobcat variations and a fully shaped story about a particular Bob. Still, the volume delivers a pleasing conversation starter in its current form.
A charming tale that offers parents an opportunity to teach their young children about the versatility of trucks.Pub Date: Nov. 25, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5406-5045-0
Page Count: 28
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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