Customer Reviews

Truck (Ultimate Sticker Books)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am comparing 2 similar books: one is Truck (Ultimate Sticker Books)by DK Publishing, 2006, and the second is Sticker Activity Trucks (First Learning) by Roger Priddy, 2003. While both are Truck sticker books for children, I give the first a rating of 1 star, and the second of 5 stars.

My toddler was given the Priddy one first, and the experience was fantastic. After he finished to put all stickers in place, I bought the DK one for him. The experience was terrible and frustrating, so I bought a second copy of the Priddy one.

They are both similar in that they are sticker books for children, they have a comparable number of pages, same format, and roughly the same printing quality. Price is close in range, Priddy is close to $6 dollars and the DK is $7 (15% more).

Contents are dramatically different though. Priddy is best in all accounts of design and pedagogy. Pages are color coded, trucks have identifiable names such as "mail truck" or "tractor"both under the sticker and on the page where it supposedly goes. DK on the other hand has a very poor 1-ink green printing on the pages where the sticker go, there are no matching names on the sticker page, and placing page, but instead a long description of some obscure fact. DK has no identifiable names either, but rather opts for a series of pickups with big wheels that where part of such or such race. In quantity Priddy also wins, with 100 detailed images, versus 60 for DK, but the most important of all differences is in that while Priddy includes a shadow image of the truck, on the page where the kid is supposed to place it, DK places a shadow of the sticker, not the truck, which has a lot less detail and resembles a cloud more than a truck. There were many trucks for which we could not even find a placeholder, and I am much older than 3 or 4, for which this books are recommended.

I am considering using these two books as an example of how to solve a book-design problem correctly, or get it all wrong in a class if the subject is appropriate. My spouse who is more accommodating suggested they could do cards with the stickers of the DK book that were not too ugly, but they could not find 24.

The buying recommendation is obvious in this case: buy a Priddy instead of a DK, unless you have a passion for retrofitted pick-ups.

As for us, we are extending our skepticism to all books published under the DK seal, and will look instead for what other ones Priddy has to offer.

Thought this book would be thicker. Perhaps in my last minute shopping frenzy I didn't read the fine print, but it is much thinner than the sticker books I have purchased in the past. I would guess less than 10 pages.

It's really a fantastic book. Not only my little boy, but also my wife and I love this book! It's full of fun and knowledge. So, everyone who loves the DIY books can enjoy these series with your little boys and girls!