Customer Reviews

The Ugly Truckling

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

 

 

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...

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!

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.

"The Ugly Truckling" is a simplified adaptation of the classic fairy tale, "The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen. While the original duckling story offers some suspense, this story will be obvious to all but the very youngest of children.

A small airplane is somehow born to a family of trucks and fails to fit in while the rest of the family performs truck-like activities, like hauling loads. Obviously, we as readers know that the "ugly truckling" isn't a truck, but a plane, as evidenced by the illustrations. All we have to do is watch the plane ask other machinery, like a tractor and windmill, what it is. Finally, the little plane looks up and knows where it belongs when it sees a group of planes flying overhead. It then happily flies away into the sunset. Children with a love for trucks, planes and other machinery will likely adore this simple story that accommodates a toddler's short attention span. Children may also like predicting the story's solution on the first page as they recognize the plane. The illustrations are bright and convey the wide open space of the prairie.

Overall, a sweet and simple story recommended for the toddler and preschool sets. Older children will be bored.

My 3 year-old loves cars and trucks. He enjoys this book even though he isn't familiar with Hans Christian Andersen's original version. A cute story. Not fine literature, but very cute.

clever, cute, simle story with beautiful artwork.

love it sooooo much!

the story is profoundly charming and the paintings are simply breathtaking.
Few kid's books out there have both and I would recommend this one to
any one who's kid loves trucks and airplanes.

This is a horrible tale of intolerance and segregation. Yes, the Ugly Truckling finds happiness but only after being expelled from its home for being different and finding others exactly like it. It reinforces the old European values that led to Bosnia and Kosovo. This book and "The Ugly Duckling" should be consigned to the dustbin of history.