I'm your ice cream truck

PreS-K--This ice cream truck is smiling as a floating scoop builds a scrumptious cone inside the confines of the kitchen, the flavors glistening in bright stripes. A dog ambles up, a bird tweets. The day includes a stop at the field, and at the library, and wherever there are eager children who wish for a treat or two. As night falls, the truck's window closes but the truck is still awake, ready for the next day. It's a jolly life, that of the ice cream truck, unfolding in the sweetest neighborhood ever created. VERDICT Toddlers will appreciate the chance to point out such a familiar and welcome presence in their lives.

An ice cream truck makes the neighborhood rounds. Shaped like a truck, this board book shows the pastel-pink vehicle touring various spots--the school, the library, the pool, and the park--before retiring for the night. The rhyming text keeps pages turning and lends itself to a lap-sit read-aloud. Words like mosey and cruise are fresh synonyms for the more obvious go and drive. Surprisingly, there is only a brief mention of the truck's iconic tune ("You'll hear me at the park"). The anthropomorphic truck has a warm, welcoming face but no driver. This means there are odd floating ice cream scoops, and children seem to magically receive treats. The thickly outlined, colorful, appealing illustrations are similar to those in other board books. Little ones will enjoy looking for fun details on the various spreads, such as flowers, houses, and animals. The children are diverse in terms of skin tone and hair color, and they and the truck are smiling in nearly every scene. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A fun spotlight on a warm-weather treat. (Board book. 1-3) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.