Dumpy the Dumptruck
One sunny day on Merryhill Farm, all the trucks are busily toiling,  including Trundle the Tractor and Bee-Bee the Backhoe. All, that is, except for  one rusty old forgotten fellow: Dumpy the Dump Truck. Relegated to the weeds  behind the barn, Dumpy has been gathering dust and mouse nests for a long time.  And it looks like the end is near when Farmer Barnes decides it's time for the  old barn to come down, and Dumpy to be, well, dumped. "But I love Dumpy," says  Charlie, the farmer's son. "It's so sad to get rid of something you love just to  make room for something new." His grandfather, Pop-Up, agrees, and before they  know it, the two are up to their ears in grease, paint, and tools. But can they  finish sprucing up Dumpy before the barn has to come down?Dumpy the Dump Truckis the first in a series about the trucks and  tractors of Merryhill Farm by Julie Andrews Edwards (author ofThe Last of the Really Great  WhangdoodlesandLittle  Bo: The Story of Bonnie Boadicea, and beloved star ofMary  PoppinsandThe Sound of Music) and Emma Walton Hamilton. Loyalty,  teamwork, and an ever-so-subtle message about the value of the elderly are at  the heart of this book. After all, Pop-Up isn't ready to be dumped yet either!  Tony Walton's watercolors are filled with friendly-featured vehicles and  pleasantly scratchy-looking farm animals and humans. If you like Dumpy, don't missDumpy at School! (Ages 4 to 7)--Emilie  Coulter