Review by Booklist Review
A seven-year-old boy reminisces about learning to run a variety of trucks. As a two-year-old, he taught himself to operate a concrete mixer. At three, he mastered the backhoe and a fireman's truck. At four, he could run a construction crane. At five, he could drive an 18-wheeler, a moving van, an earth mover, a paver, a forklift, a farm combine, and more. In the main illustrations, this capable kid appears to be operating full-size equipment. But, near the story's end, the scale shifts and a scene shows him in his bedroom, where the floor is littered with toy trucks. Indeed, he hopes to drive a truck someday, after he grows up. The rhythmic, rhyming text has just enough detail to keep kids engaged without slowing down the pace. Drawn in ink and digitally colored, the illustrations feature the boy, his dressed-animal helpers, and his powerful trucks and other equipment. This colorful picture book is prime material for kids yearning to tackle tough jobs with a little help from big machines.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Friend, an editor at Vanity Fair, debuts with a cheeky poem of a picture book, in which a boy proudly describes his prowess as he helms several trucks, trailers, and construction vehicles. Humorously colloquial rhymes are well-matched to the mischief on display as the boy-accompanied by a turtle, penguin, and pig-engages in construction and demolition, occasionally saving the day: "I also worked a fireman's truck-/ and, sure enough, a cat got stuck!/ The kids were sad and I was sadder.../ until I saved her with a ladder." Rex's (Goodnight Goon) digitally colored ink cartoons are full of vehicular action and mechanical details, from the dirt-caked treads of a wrecking ball to the gleam of an 18-wheeler's mesh grille, cast by the truck's headlights. As the boy ages, his skills grow ("At 6, if you would like to know,/ I spent the winter plowing snow"), and while the story ends in familiar territory (the boy's bedroom is involved), readers caught up in the fun may still be caught by surprise. Ages 3-5. Illustrator's agent: Ronnie Ann Herman, Herman Agency. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
At 2, when I could reach the seat, / I taught myself to make concrete." Using rhymes as reliable as new tires, a seven-year-old boy boasts of his years of truck-driving prowess. The quaintly ink and digital art shows him at work...until a late-breaking "gotcha!" spread reveals that he's actually been at play--on his bedroom floor, with toy trucks. (c) Copyright 2017. 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
A delightful ode to trucks goes above and beyond the usual churning, wrecking, and pounding. Cheery rhyming text declares from the first page, "At 2, when I could reach the seat, / I taught myself to make concrete." And we're off! Accompanied by a pig, turtle, and penguin, a small, hard-hatted white child recounts driving just about every truck, machine, and tractor imaginable. From backhoes to snowplows, the child and faithful animal crew are in every cab or assisting on the ground. All the favorites are here (bulldozer, dump truck, 18-wheeler, etc.), with some mechanical monsters lauded less often in books of this sort (hay baler, combine harvester, earthmover, etc.). By the end, the trucks are revealed to be mere toys, but a flash-forward to the future shows, "When I grow upyou know wassup. / With any luck, I'll drive a truck." Friend's rhymes produce a one-of-a-kind mighty litany of machines. These words pair neatly with Rex's art; his cartoonish style renders each vehicle with a meticulousness that will meet the approval of even the strictest vehicle enthusiast. Lucky indeed are the kids who get to indulge in this splendid little wish-fulfillment daydream. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
