The Ugly Truckling [Hardcover]

David Gordon (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 2004 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

As hard as she tries, the ugly truckling cannot keep up with her brothers and sisters. She can't pull logs, she can't carry hay, and her three small wheels are no match for their four big, strong ones. She'll never be a good truck. So the ugly truckling runs away from home in search of her own identity -- and finds out that she may not be such an ugly truckling after all.

David Gordon's fresh twist on a familiar tale is as endearing as it is poignant.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–This mediocre adaptation of a classic tale is set in the West, where "vehicles roam from ranch to ranch." The ugly truckling knows that she is different from her brothers and sisters: her wheels are too small, she has no flat bed for hauling loads, and she has "two strange beams stuck out from the sides of her body." Ridiculed by the others, she speeds away in search of her true identity. After meeting a tractor, a cow, and a windmill, she sees the reflection of several aircraft in a pond, looks at her own mirror image, and discovers that she is actually a "beautiful airplane." Ranging from gloriously colored landscapes to vivid close-ups of the characters, the artwork is colorful and appealing. Unfortunately, the writing is flat and uninspired. Give your truck fans real tales about big rigs and stick with Hans Christian Andersen's original story.–Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. A felicitous rhyme makes way for a decidedly loose interpretation of Andersen's The Ugly Duckling, one that taps right into little ones' adoration of things that go vroom. A winsome baby "truck," whose appearance suggests that Mommy may have spent some time at the local landing strip, finds himself caught in his suspicious siblings' high beams. "Why do you have three wheels instead of four?" "You'll never be a good truck." Embarrassed and confused, the ugly truckling leaves the garage in search of her own kind. After a series of Are You My Mother?-style encounters, the runaway sees a cheerful squadron of airplanes overhead. An epiphany and a happy ending ensue. Though the pictures have the blocky, slightly garish quality one often sees in computer-generated artwork, Gordon borrows a few tricks from former employers Pixar and Nickelodeon to imbue his baby vehicles with high-octane cuteness. Most kids won't even notice that the notion of plunking inanimate objects into a classic tale of organic transformation is, in many ways, a deeply silly idea. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (May 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006054600X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060546007
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #587,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars nice illustrations and great for vehicle loving younger readers, March 14, 2006

By 

S. Vasquez "sandidv" (Norwalk, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ugly Truckling (Hardcover)

My 2.5 yr old toddler loves trucks and airplanes and all things wheeled. We got this and The Three Little Rigs by the same author (which I promptly put away to be read at a much later date because it seemed to scary to me for my child at this age - I need to review it again). But so far we love the Ugly Truckling. It is a book for younger "readers" as one review said - as it may be obvious to an older child right away that the Ugly Truckling is in fact an airplane. But my child loves responding "No..." when the Ugly Truckling asks the tractor, "Am I a tractor?" or asks the cow, "Am I a cow?"

And I DISAGREE with the reviewers who state this book is a "tale of intolerance and segregation" and that "as not all family members look alike now, Interracial marriages/families and those families that adopt a child of a different race may want to avoid this book..." As a parent of a interracial child myself, I paid attention to noting that although there was a physical difference between Trucks and Airplanes they were all different colors within each family. So I think its all about how YOU as the parent interpret these differences to your young child. (You could compare physical differences between being tall or short or a cat or a dog, or a boy or a girl...)

But as this is a book that would seem work best for younger children, my thoughts are that my child is just going to enjoy this story as one about an Airplane trying to figure out who HE is. And if/when he is old enough to discuss this on another level - again as his parent I hope I have the intelligence to try help him see that its the differences that make us special and interesting to each other and the world, no matter what species, color, gender, or make and model...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Five Star Read, July 26, 2004

By 

cam - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ugly Truckling (Hardcover)

This revitalization of an old classic is wonderful. The Ugly Truckling is beautifully illustrated and spectacularly told. It's great to have a classic reworked and targeted for a new generation of children. I bought the book for my nephew who loved it!!! Trucks and airplanes are a much better fit for him than ducklings and farm animals so this book was perfect! He made me read it twice the first evening!!! We're eagerly awaiting this author's next book!

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for a family that has adopted, July 14, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ugly Truckling (Hardcover)

I realize this is a spin off the classic The Ugly Duckling but I would think in this day and age it would be played up to respect and recognize that not all family members look alike now. Interracial marriages/families and those families that adopt a child of a different race may want to avoid this book.

The little airplane realizes he doesn't look like his truckling siblings as they peer at him and taunt him for not fitting in or looking like them. He ventures out and meets others asking if he is one of them and still doesn't fit in until he sees more airplanes. Then he feels he has met his family and where he belongs. This book could create confusion and feelings of not belonging to any child that does not look like his/her parents or siblings.

That said, I loved the illustration in this book. Kudos for that but none for the author for not modernizing this story to recognize diversity.