159. Board book: I Love You, Little Truck

Board book: I Love You, Little Truck. David and Stephanie Miles. Illustrated by Natasha Molins. 2023. [January] 24 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Evening had come
in star-dusted art.
"I love you," said Big Truck,
"With all of my heart."
Little Truck smiled,
Then it sank to a frown.
"But what about times
I might let you down?"

Premise/plot: Truck-themed board book about unconditional love written in rhyme.

My thoughts: What you see is what you get. If you are tired of animals STEALING the show when it comes to showcasing unconditional love--familial unconditional love, then this is the book for you. Since trucks and construction vehicles are ever-popular with little ones, it's a good match, in my opinion. Why not talking trucks instead of talking bunnies?

I enjoyed this one.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Board book: I Am A Zamboni Machine

I Am a Zamboni Machine. 2018. Scholastic. 8 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: I am a Zamboni machine. I drive around and around the rink. I make the ice clean and smooth. I scrape off bumps with my blade. I spray down hot water to leave a perfect sheet of ice.

Premise/plot: This is a novelty-shaped board book for little hockey lovers. It explains what a zamboni machine does in simple sentences. (I'm not sure why the driver has a puppy dog with him!)

My thoughts: Shape books can be great fun. The pages tend to be easier to turn. The unique edges offer even more for little ones to chew. I am so relieved that the author didn't attempt to tell this story in rhyme! The only thing that would make this one better would be if the wheels turned too.

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Board book: Let's Go, Rescue Trucks

Let's Go, Rescue Trucks! Scholastic. 2018. 12 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: My lights flash bright red and blue. Helping out is what I do! I am a police car. Make my wheels spin. Let the rescue begin!

Premise/plot: Little ones "meet" different types of rescue trucks in this rhyming novelty board book. The rescue trucks are a police car, an ambulance, tow truck, lifeguard truck, fire truck, snow plow.

My thoughts: All you really need to know is that there are spinning wheels that you can spin from any page--same wheels, different trucks. They make a delightful clackety noise too.




© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Board book: Pug in a Truck

Pug in a Truck. Nancy Coffelt. 2006/2015. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: This is our truck. It's flat in the front. This is me. My nose is as flat as the front of our truck. This is my friend. He calls me Pug. I'm Pug in a truck!

Premise/plot: This board book is narrated by a pug dog. His owner is a trucker. They travel the roads together hauling/delivering loads. The book is full of trucker lingo: double nickel, dragon wagon, keeping the shiny side up and the greasy side down, etc.

My thoughts: If you or your little one likes dogs, OR, trucks this is a fun little read to share together.  I am thankful the author included a glossary of the trucker lingo. I had heard a few of the words before, but not nearly all of them!


© 2017 Becky Laney of Young Readers

The Little Dump Truck

Cuyler, Margery. 2009. The Little Dump Truck. Illustrated by Bob Kolar. Henry Holt.

This is a sturdy picture book about dump trucks. (One of those that isn't quite a board book, the pages aren't quite that thick, yet they're thicker and sturdier than the average picture book making it perfect for preschoolers.) It's a simple book, brightly illustrated.

I'm a little dump truck
run by Hard Hat Pete,
rattle-rattle-clatter,
driving down the street.

It rhymes, but it's the good kind of rhyme. The smart kind. The rhythmic kind. The kind that's fun to read aloud, again and again.

I'm a little dump truck
hauling stones and rocks,
bumping, bouncing, thumping,
crossing city blocks.

See, it's just fun to say bumping, bouncing, thumping. But the book isn't all about rhyming. It's about trucks--what dump trucks do, the kinds of work, the kinds of jobs they do. You see them in action.

I'm a little dump truck
backing to the right,
tipping down my dumper
at the garbage site.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers