Review by Booklist Review
The truck picture-book genre ratchets up a notch with the glorious depiction of, count 'em, 20 tantalizingly colored and deliciously varied trucks, jammed on the narrow, twisting streets of a city neighborhood. A helmet-clad young bicyclist takes it all in as an ice-cream truck stalls and the 19 others are caught behind it. The majority are delivery trucks carrying a pleasingly odd assortment of cargo, but there is also a double-page-filling crane, a cement mixer, and plenty of others to provide a satisfying diversity. The bright colors of the trucks and the way their towering forms dominate the pages heighten the book's giddy appeal. Not just a counting book, the rhyming text artfully tells a story, which climaxes when the clever young observer suggests a nifty way to get the trucks rolling again: The crane lifts the ice-cream truck up slow. / Now all the other trucks can go! Good for storytimes and one-on-one sharing, this should delight even the most jaded of truck-book aficionados.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
An ice cream truck breaking down in "the middle of our street" is a dream come true for many a kid-not to mention the ensuing traffic jam that strands 20 trucks of every shape and purpose. But one boy has something bigger in mind than licking a cone or being a spectator: he wants to solve the problem. That takes some persistence, but he eventually wins over the crowd with a solution that's literally right in front of them. Adult author Lee, making his children's debut, seems a bit stuck himself, delineating the mostly easy-to-recognize vehicles ("A pickup truck is number 4/ A crane truck makes 5./ And here come more!") rather than amplifying the mood so vividly established in Cyrus's (The Voyage of Turtle Rex) generously scaled and cinematically composed street scenes. It's his portrayal of the trucks as solid machines momentarily sidelined from their essential duties, along with the evocation of a neighborhood brought together by a benign "Didja ever..." moment, that makes the book feel inspired. It almost doesn't need words at all. Ages 3-5. Illustrator's agent: Michael Stearns, Upstart Crow Literary. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-This counting book presents a traffic tie-up of the proportion that will delight young children, especially those with a passion for trucks. A broken-down ice-cream truck is all it takes to bring the action to a standstill. Each page features one type of vehicle in all its glory, and there's even an aerial view that shows the entire neighborhood immobilized by the jam. Bold digital illustrations are crisp and sufficiently detailed to please those who have already acquired some knowledge of the topic. The use of concentrated color and minimal white space will also appeal to young listeners, who will identify with the young hero who gets everyone out of the mess. His idea is to use the crane to lift all the other vehicles and send them on their way. Of course, the disabled ice-cream truck will have to remain-a perfect reward. Counting books in verse are plentiful, but this one stands out. The words roll off the tongue, a good thing, as children will demand to hear it again and again.-Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In a lively picture book multitasking as a counting book, a truck book, and an ice-cream wish-fulfillment story, a young boy on a bike tells what happens when an ice-cream truck breaks down, blocking his street. A mail truck shows up and wants to get by, soon followed by a parade of other trucks -- delivery trucks, a crane, a truck carrying squealing pigs. The rhyming text provides commentary for sorting out the entertaining traffic jam in the double-page spreads done in clean, bright digital art: "I start to count each truck I see. / First 1, then 2, and now there are 3." As the crisis progresses, readers get to view the truck showcase from a variety of perspectives, from close-up to aerial. The illustrations themselves contain small entertaining details to follow from page to page -- a dog in a baby carrier, a girl who loses her balloon. When there are twenty trucks piled up, the boy concocts the ultimate solution, which involves the crane, clears the traffic, and means the boy can finally enjoy some (well-deserved) ice cream. julie roach (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
When an ice cream truck breaks down, a truck traffic jam ensues: the perfect attraction for the vehicle-obsessed in this captivating counting book. From cement mixer to garbage truck, the trucks pile up--and so does the crowd--as a young bicyclist names and numbers the vehicles in rhyming text. "I start to count each truck I see. / First 1, then 2, and now there are 3." The use of numerals in the text encourages number recognition and creates a matching game, while spelled numbers are used when appropriate. The yellow-helmeted boy weaves through the action until the solution is clear: the crane truck! His idea saves the day, and with traffic flowing once more, all ends on a deliciously sweet note. Digital illustrations done in a muted pastel palette present an amiable city block as Cyrus takes readers on a cinematic tour of the locale. His strength is in how he uses the boy's point of view to expand readers' understanding of the environment, allowing both character and readers to find an answer to the problem. Various perspectives capture the imagination, but the trucks are the real stars of the show. Truck-lovers will beg for repeat reads, with little ones "reading along" from memory. (Picture book. 3-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
