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WHOSE BIG RIG?

Name: WHOSE BIG RIG?
Author: Toni Buzzeo
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4220-0

From the Guess the Job series

by Toni Buzzeo ; illustrated by Ramon Olivera ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 25, 2021

A dream for true big-rig fans.

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Meet specialized big rigs involved in building a light-rail system.

Caution! Here’s a board book designed for hard-core machine aficionados. Rhyming text inside striking goldenrod-colored traffic signs on the left-hand page introduces a building task. “Dig the channels so water can flow”; a second, orange sign queries, “Whose big rig is this?” The right-hand page diagrams the machine responsible for the job, with many of the relevant, often quite technical components clearly labeled. Some preschoolers will want to devour every “gripper arm” factoid, but it’s definitely optional reading. A fold-out flap offers more generally accessible information, naming and showing the team at work along with a succinct explanation. A “tunnel borer” team, for instance, will “cut through rock to make way for underground tracks.” Some big rigs, like the excavator and the bulldozer, will be old favorites, but there are many new, intriguing machines and workers to learn about, including the “tie dragon’s crew,” which lays the ties of the tracks, or the “track maintenance specialist,” who “make[s] tracks level.” Tidy illustrations provide readers with clear snapshots of the various machines, and workers are made up of racially and gender diverse crews. The final flap, showing small children playing with a toy train set who have “come to help,” is satisfying.

A dream for true big-rig fans. (Board book. 2-6)

Pub Date: May 25, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-4197-4220-0

Page Count: 16

Publisher: Abrams Appleseed

Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

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LIGHT COMES TO SHADOW MOUNTAIN
by Toni Buzzeo

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PA, ME, AND OUR SIDEWALK PANTRY
by Toni Buzzeo ; illustrated by Zara González Hoang

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EAT YOUR SUPERPOWERS!
by Toni Buzzeo ; illustrated by Serge Bloch

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BUSY STREET

From the Beginner Books series

by Edward Miller ; illustrated by Edward Miller ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 4, 2022

Smoother rides are out there.

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Mommy and Bonnie—two anthropomorphic rodents—go for a joyride and notice a variety of conveyances around their busy town.

The pair encounter 22 types of vocational vehicles as they pass various sites, including a fire engine leaving a firehouse, a school bus approaching a school, and a tractor trailer delivering goods to a supermarket. Narrated in rhyming quatrains, the book describes the jobs that each wheeled machine does. The text uses simple vocabulary and sentences, with sight words aplenty. Some of the rhymes don't scan as well as others, and the description of the mail truck’s role ("A mail truck brings / letters and cards / to mailboxes / in people's yards) ignores millions of readers living in yardless dwellings. The colorful digitally illustrated spreads are crowded with animal characters of every type hustling and bustling about. Although the art is busy, observant viewers may find humor in details such as a fragile item falling out of a moving truck, a line of ducks holding up traffic, and a squirrel’s spilled ice cream. For younger children enthralled by vehicles, Sally Sutton’s Roadwork (2011) and Elizabeth Verdick’s Small Walt series provide superior text and art and kinder humor. Children who have little interest in cars, trucks, and construction equipment may find this offering a yawner. Despite being advertised as a beginner book, neither text nor art recommend this as an engaging choice for children starting to read independently. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Smoother rides are out there. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-593-37725-3

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
GRAPHS!
by David A. Adler ; illustrated by Edward Miller

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW TO HAUNT A HOUSE
by Carolyn Crimi ; illustrated by Edward Miller

- BOOK REVIEW
ARE YOU MY PLANET?
by Lori Haskins Houran ; illustrated by Edward Miller

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LITTLE GENIUS WEATHER

by Joe Rhatigan ; illustrated by Lizzy Doyle ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2022

There’s charm in this picture book, but it’s a bit of a wash.

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A rhyming introduction to a variety of weather phenomena.

“So how about that weather?” A ubiquitous small-talk topic gets the board-book treatment in this cheerful informational text. Enthusiastic, colorful illustrations are a highlight, and beaming, anthropomorphic kawaii-style weather formations are eye-grabbers. Who doesn’t love a grinning rainbow? Children with various skin tones pictured throughout the book are equally pleasant and include a wheelchair user. If the book is agreeable to look at, it's less so to listen to. The oft-stilted rhymes aren't intuitive, and clunkers like “when a cloud gets dark and heavy with rain it's called a cumulonimbus which is such a funny name” take a few tries to get right when read aloud. Adding insult to injury, the line breaks are sometimes jarring, making the rhyme even more daunting. Most of the main sections contain appropriately digestible bits of introductory information conveyed in a bubbly, enthusiastic tone, with snow described vividly as “raindrops that freeze into crystals.” However, sometimes there is a mismatch between the text and its intended audience. Some topics—seasons, clouds, rain—with their easily visible and experiential elements, seem perfectly suited for toddlers; others, like humidity and hurricanes, are more of a stretch. A “Fun Fact” section discussing matters such as the Earth’s axis and climatology versus meteorology is more appropriate for early-elementary learners. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

There’s charm in this picture book, but it’s a bit of a wash. (Informational board book. 2-5)