I'm Dirty!
Starred Review.PreSchool-Grade 2–With a style familiar to fans ofIm Mighty!(2003) andI Stink!(2002, both HarperCollins), McMullan introduces a sassy backhoe loader who relishes his dirty job. He brags about his equipment and then heads to work, where he cleans up an abandoned lot. Cleaning up this mess? Easy as pie. Make that aMUDpie. Counting down from 10 to 1, the backhoe removes the alliterative trash: 4 cat-clawed couches, 3 scuffed-up signs, 2 tossed-out toilet seats, 1 wonky washing machine. Then, he pulls out a tree stump, takes a mud bath, and back-drags his bucket over the dirt. Throughout the story, the machine becomes progressively dirtier, with a repeating motif of mud. The text flies about the pages, changing size, shape, and orientation. With its saucy tone and dynamic color cartoon illustrations, this picture book exudes energy.–Suzanne Myers Harold, Multnomah County Library System, Portland, ORCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.