The Little Black Truck - Hardcover

PreSchool-Grade 1-The seasonal activities of a '40s-style black truck are chronicled: rolling past the schoolhouse; carrying bushels of tomatoes or a load of fat pumpkins; hauling a Christmas tree. After repeating the cycle many times, the heavily used vehicle finally wears out and is towed far away and abandoned. As it deteriorates, birds use string from its seats to build nests and rabbits live under it. Many years later, a young man finds it and, thinking that it looks like his grandfather's pickup, rebuilds and refurbishes it. Loaded again with apples and other things, the little black truck rolls to the country fair and home again sporting blue ribbons. Short refrains of truck sounds punctuate the simple, repetitive text and add auditory interest for young children, e.g., "Beepedy beep/ Chug chug/Perka perka/Pop pop/ Stop." The large, impressionistic, full-color illustrations have the soft, sculptural shapes and rounded use of line reminiscent of Chris Van Allsburg's work. Changes in perspective also add interest, and the palette of greens, golds, and rusts effectively serves as a backdrop for the black vehicle. Similar in plot to Virginia Lee Burton's The Little House (Houghton, 1978), but without quite the same emotional impact.
Cynthia K. Richey, Mt. Lebanon Public Library, Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In the feel-good tradition of The Little Engine That Could and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel , another obsolete motor vehicle makes the grade. As she attempts to whip up sentiment for a wholesome bygone era, however, Gray ( Dear Willie Rudd, ) relentlessly condescends to her audience. Mistaking a simplistic tale for a simple one, she delivers a repetitious text reminiscent of the bland basal readers of yore: "It went past the white-blossomed apple orchard. It went past the red brick schoolhouse where the children waved as it went rolling along. It went past the small, brown grocery store where the owner gave it a snappy salute." Cheery bursts of onomatopoeia relieve the monotony, mimicking various truck sounds, e.g., a "Perka perka / Pop pop / Stop" indicates its fitful halting. Sayles ( Nettie's Gift ) portrays the romantic mood of the story in handsome, larger-than-life pastels. Warm greens, browns and blues depict a shimmering heartland. Slightly bowed perspectives lend movement to the page. Given their insatiable appetite for more of the same, the large population of truck enthusiasts may overlook the limitations of this volume. Ages 4-6.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.