Rating: 4 stars
So far we've had heaps of luck with the 2014 Children's Choices Award-Winning Books. The books on this list we've printed out guided our book lending last week. These books were selected by kids and for kids--with the goal of encouraging kids to read more for pleasure. These kids were spot-on. There are some really great books on the list!
Including Alphabet Trucks, a compact little read that I've read half a dozen times to Kiefer already, and we've only had it a few days. At three, the alphabet--recognizing the letters and learning the sounds they make--is exactly where he needs to be. Nothing makes him happier than riding in his dad's old Chevy pick-up truck (if only it were orange!), but a book about trucks--with a pick-up truck on the cover--comes pretty close.
The rhymes (the fact that it rhymes at this age is a wonderful thing!) are a solid good:
E is for elevator truck,
Raise the forklift--up it goes!
A is for apple truck, carting produce to the store.
F is for fuel truck,
with a meter, pump, and hose.
G is for grapple truck,
And its grabby, massive claw.
H is for horse truck,
Full of water, feed, and straw.
As you can see, there's not a lot of information on each truck, just a brief introduction and a great illustration by Ryan O'Rourke. In each picture, he's sprinkled in a bunch of those letters--Kiefer particularly likes how the Ms are sliding down the chute of the Mixing Truck. I like how the Junk Truck is hauling off a whole lot of Js to the dump.
But my favorite is the zipper truck. Because I know what that is! And I knew it when we first read it, promise. I am NOT the know-it-all in the house, so I am rarely the one who has The Answer. But this time I did! (Enter triumphant ha-HA! here) Years ago I saw a zipper truck, also known as a Barrier-Transfer Machine, do its thing as I drove into Washington, D.C. I thought it was cool back then, and I didn't yet have boys who would verify its coolness for me. I told the kids about it. I did my best to explain how it moved barriers to accommodate the different rush hour traffic needs on a single road, but this video helped them truly understand:
There you go! One good book and one cool video to explain the car that exemplifies Z!
