A familiar trope with a subtle, ecological twist
A little green truck is the farm’s best work truck, until he is replaced by a bigger and better model.
Little Green is proud to work on the farm. He has sturdy tires, a shiny coat of bright green paint, and a front fender that curves into a winning smile. He scoots around, picking up packages from town and doing chores. But one day he hears the “Ehrr-ruh-ruh-ruh-ruh!” sound of a bigger, boastful truck. Big Blue seems to say, “I’m the biggest. I’m the bluest. I’m the best.” Poor Little Green is left out in the pasture to rust. (It’s the saddest picture of dismal abandonment one has ever seen, though he does have butterflies and birds to keep him company). Luckily, the farmer’s daughter, Fern, has a brilliant plot to revive Little Green. They spiff him up and use him to transport crops to the farmers market—a gentle, delicate job. Little Green lives up to his color more than ever: he is now fueled with biodiesel and does his part to support sustainable agriculture. Kuo’s lush, folk-art meadows roll across the pages to round out the farm, outlined in white instead of black and textured with dotted grass accents. The effect achieves a nostalgic yet trendy feel that works well with Little Green’s two incarnations.
A familiar trope with a subtle, ecological twist . (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 16, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30070-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems.
Rhyming poems introduce children to anthropomorphized trucks of all sorts, as well as the jobs that they do.
Adorable multiethnic children are the drivers of these 16 trucks—from construction equipment to city trucks, rescue vehicles and a semi—easily standing in for readers, a point made very clear on the final spread. Varying rhyme schemes and poem lengths help keep readers’ attention. For the most part, the rhymes and rhythms work, as in this, from “Cement Mixer”: “No time to wait; / he can’t sit still. / He has to beg your pardon. / For if he dawdles on the way, / his slushy load will harden.” Slonim’s trucks each sport an expressive pair of eyes, but the anthropomorphism stops there, at least in the pictures—Vestergaard sometimes takes it too far, as in “Bulldozer”: “He’s not a bully, either, / although he’s big and tough. / He waits his turn, plays well with friends, / and pushes just enough.” A few trucks’ jobs get short shrift, to mixed effect: “Skid-Steer Loader” focuses on how this truck moves without the typical steering wheel, but “Semi” runs with a royalty analogy and fails to truly impart any knowledge. The acrylic-and-charcoal artwork, set against white backgrounds, keeps the focus on the trucks and the jobs they are doing.
While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems. (Picture book/poetry. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5078-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
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A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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