Synopsis
Tom drives a big rig. He gets an order and picks it up. As he drives across the country, past construction sites and on roads being repaired, he joins other vehicles, big and small. Wherever he goes—through towns and cities, on busy highways, over bridges and mountains—he sees all kinds of trucks that are also carrying important goods to people. In scenes both panoramic and detailed, Monica Wellington has painted over sixty different vehicles in her signature bright colors. In this addition to her nonfiction series for the very youngest about people and jobs, she invites readers—especially boys—for a ride on the open road.
Children's Literature
AGERANGE: Ages 3 to 6.
Large, clean graphics combine with bold colors to present more than sixty different types of trucks and cars as Tom delivers produce to a city market. Tom prepares his rig then visits a farm where he picks up apples and vegetables. He drives through rural farmland then out onto the highway where his journey takes him over mountains, through tunnels, past road construction sites, around detours, and into the city. Simple text in short sentences offers reading opportunities to early readers. Text in bold indicates the sound of trucks, noises on the road or brief dialogue. A little dog rides along with Tom. The illustrations combine hand-printed signs, cut-out letters and photographs cropped into the simply drawn, flattened images of roads, houses, people of all ages and cars or trucks. The bright imagery and simple text will appeal as an introduction to books for children who are read to as well as those beginning to read for themselves. This book would be a good reading resource addition to a preschool or early elementary school library. Reviewer: Hazel Buys