Trash Trucks
Ages 3^-6. "Are they beasts or great machines that feast to keep our city clean?" Well, actually, as Kirk envisions them, they're a little bit of both: energetically anthropomorphized trash trucks with massive jaws and jagged teeth, all the better the garbage to eat. Oops! Sorry--Kirk's singsong, rhyming text is infectious. There's a slight story in here somewhere--three muscular trucks save Pete and his pal Kim from being buried under a toppling mountain of trash--but the main attraction is the rambunctious art that mixes stylized retro images with collage. As for the text, it's hand lettered in "24 pt. Litterbox" (!). A witty penultimate spread shows everybody from Einstein to Santa Claus to the author-artist himself holding bags of next week's trash. (Note to casting directors: for the movie version, sign Arnold Schwarzenegger to star as lead truck "Stinko.")Michael Cart