Little Blue Truck [Hardcover]

Alice Schertle (Author), Jill McElmurry (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2008 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years | Series: Little Blue Truck | Lexile Measure: 580L (What's this?)

Beep! Beep! Beep! Meet Blue. A muddy country road is no match for this little pick up--that is, until he gets stuck while pushing a dump truck out of the muck. Luckily, Blue has made a pack of farm animal friends along his route. And they're willing to whatever it takes to get their pal back on the road.
Filled with truck sounds and animals noises, here is a rollicking homage to the power of friendship and the rewards of helping others.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS—Folksy rhyming stanzas introduce readers to Blue, the eponymous pickup truck, and the barnyard critters he greets as he navigates the country roads near his farmhouse. The first half of the book is an enchanting, toddler-entrancing symphony of animal noises and beeps. The cheerful text mimics the bouncing of the truck, and the warm folk-art illustrations call to mind the paintings of Grandma Moses. Then it begins to rain, and a mean, self-important dump truck enters the story. When the Dump gets mired in the mud and honks for help, he gets no response: "nobody heard/(or nobody cared)." Then Blue drives into the puddle to assist, but also gets stuck. When Blue cries for help, the animals rush to the rescue. From this, the dump truck learns that "a lot depends/on a helping hand/from a few good friends." While the message might be a little heavy-handed, this is still a fun, rollicking story that should find a place in most collections.—Rachael Vilmar, Eastern Shore Regional Library, Salisbury, MD
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Review

"Schertle's (All You Need for a Beach) rhyming stanzas are succinct, and she gives readers plenty of opportunities to chime in with animal and vehicle noises; colored, standout fonts highlight these sounds for extra effect. McElmurry's (Mad About Plaid) gouaches recall the heyday of Golden Books in their combination of vividness, naïveté and sweetness, and her rich palette achieves verisimilitude that is no less satisfying for being nostalgic."  --Publishers Weekly, starred review (4/28/08) 

"Schertle's (All You Need for a Beach) rhyming stanzas are succinct, and she gives readers plenty of opportunities to chime in with animal and vehicle noises; colored, standout fonts highlight these sounds for extra effect. McElmurry's (Mad About Plaid) gouaches recall the heyday of Golden Books in their combination of vividness, naïveté and sweetness, and her rich palette achieves verisimilitude that is no less satisfying for being nostalgic."  --Publishers Weekly, starred review (4/28/08) 

(Publishers Weekly )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152056610
• ISBN-13: 978-0152056612
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 10.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (204 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Farm Animals
  • #44 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Values
  • #49 in Books > Children's Books > Transportation

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute Book! November 27, 2009

By JMom

Format:Board book|Amazon Verified Purchase

Beep Beep! This is a really sweet book that my 2 year old and 1 year old both love. It's just short enough to keep their attention but they want it read to them over and over. This book has a great lesson in it about friendship and helping someone in need while also reinforcing the farm animals and their sounds that they make. I gave this as a gift to a 2 year old boy and his mother said it's the first book that he would actually sit down and let her read all the way through to the end. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a toddler.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful for little ones! January 6, 2009

By A. Harold

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is chockful of excellent textual sound effects (audio quality depends upon the reader, of course). The little truck beeps its horn and numerous animals sound their moos, quacks, clucks, peeps, etc. A great read for young children, and a valuable tool for teaching animals and animal sounds. In addition, the story has great rhyme and rhythm and contains a lesson about nurturing relationships with others. Originally, I had borrowed this book from the library, but I loved it so much that I bought it for my 5 mth old son for Christmas. My daughter is 2, and she LOVES this book. After a reading, she always says, "Again?"

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it! November 22, 2009

By Nelly Bly

Format:Board book

This is currently my favorite childrens book that we own for my 15-month old. Fantastic artwork, words that are so perfectly lyrical you can sing them, and a sweet little story about friends who help each other out.