Little Blue Truck

PreS-Gr 1—"Beep, beep," Little Blue Truck merrily bounces down a country road greeting all the animals along the way. All is well until, "honk," along comes Dump, a mighty yellow truck with "important work to do." He has no time "to greet every duck along the way" until he gets stuck in the muck and the mire. Little Blue hears his cries and tries to help, but gets stuck. All the animals come to help their friend Blue. They have no luck until one last push from adorable toad—with his Popeye-like muscles and a gleaming smile—does the trick. The value of friends and pitching in is beautifully shown through Schertle's simple but sweet rhyming text (Harcourt, 2008) and Jill McElmurry's warm folk art-like illustrations. Tom Stechschulte's pleasing narration features crisp enunciation and perfect pacing. The various animal sounds differ effectively with just enough charming silliness. Page-turn signals are optional. Children in preschool through first grade will cheer for the animals (toad will be a favorite), Little Blue, and even Dump once he sees the value of "a helping hand from a few good friends."—Jane Newschwander, Fluvanna County Public Schools, VA