Digger, Dozer, Dumper
This collection of poems introduces 16 hardworking vehicles, from a little street sweeper tidying up the neighborhood to a mighty semi barreling down the highway. In the framework verse, three children are invited to try out the trucks. While the verse concentrates on the accomplishments of each vehicle, the illustrations show the kids (and sometimes their cheerful canine companion) in the driver’s seats. The rhythmic, rhyming verse is expressive as well as informative. The text may be a bit long for the youngest truck fans, but they will be captivated by the lively artwork. In contrast to Slonim’s lovely landscape paintings in The Deer Watch (2013), here his energetic acrylic-and-charcoal pictures animate the industrious trucks, creating amusing facial expressions from headlights, bumpers, and other seemingly immobile features. The final spread gathers all the vehicles together and, with the turn of a page, transforms them into toy trucks moved about by the children. Fun for reading aloud, especially one-on-one. Preschool-Grade 1. --Carolyn Phelan