Garbage Trucks

Children's Literature

The mighty garbage truck lumbering through cities and towns holds endless fascination for many children, perhaps boys most of all. Its job and component parts are illustrated and described in simple language in this book for beginning readers. One of a series of picture books written to help below-grade-level readers improve their skills, the book features short sentences, controlled vocabulary and a strong correlation between text and pictures. Straightforward illustrations do a good job of showing the trucks' size and power, and also include views from the operator's perspective inside the cab. A memorable scene shows the hopper emptying at a landfill so vividly that the clatter and thump of falling trash is nearly audible. (Other pictures and text address recycling.) Large type and simple, colorful pictures make the book a good bet for group reading in a classroom of young children, and related projects can fit curricula areas of science or community. For individuals, it should be noted that older struggling readers might feel self-conscious carrying a picture book when advanced readers in the same class are reading chapter books. An introductory note to teachers and parents explains that early readers may need help using features such as the "Table of Contents," "Glossary," and "Index." In this book, most of the value of these features may be to acquaint youngsters with the use of these tools. On the other hand, the list of Internet sites and related books, while clearly designed for use with adult supervision, are likely to be of immediate value to any early readers interested in those benign monsters, garbage trucks. 2005, Pebble Plus/Capstone Press, Ages 2 to 7.
—K.N.Epstein