School Library Journal Review
| PreS-Gr 2-It's a rainy day and the roads are muddy and slushy with melting snow. When a bright yellow school bus loaded with children becomes stranded, the driver phones for help. A vibrantly red tow truck and its mustached driver make their way through the slippery streets to come to the rescue: "Splishy-splashy/wet HOORAY!/Our hero for a rainy day.../is RED TRUCK!" At times the language sounds forced, as when "mud" rhymes with "could," but Red Truck's determination and the story's pacing are undeniably fun. The lighthearted paintings convey movement through the diagonal lines of the truck climbing uphill and the slant of falling raindrops. The vehicles and characters are depicted in bold primary colors that sparkle against the gray winter backdrops. Both the pictures and the large-font text reinforce the urgency of Red Truck's mission. Attention to detail, such as the children's drawings on foggy bus windows, is an added delight. With plenty of rhymes and onomatopoeia, just a sentence or two per page, and bright illustrations, this book is appropriate for beginning readers or for sharing aloud with young truck fans.-Julie R. Ranelli, Queen Anne's County Free Library, Stevensville, MD (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Booklist Review
| *Starred Review* One wintry day, a red tow truck's driver receives a call that a school bus is stuck in slushy mud. He drives Red Truck up the slippery hill, past the other vehicles that can't quite make it, to haul the school bus to the top. As the intrepid rescuer speeds up a slope, the words read, Can Red Truck make it UP the hill? Red truck CAN! / Red Truck WILL! Strong, flowing lines and highly simplified forms create a certain retro look in the digital artwork. Color used with restraint makes the red truck, yellow school bus, and brightly dressed children show up brilliantly against the background of whites, grays, and pale greens. As Red Truck struggles up the hill, the perpetual smile on its bumper transforms into a grimace of concentrated effort, but it resolves into the familiar uplifted curve when the job is done. With a well-crafted text spiced with sound effects, this appealing picture book is highly recommended for reading aloud to the truck-loving crowd. Pair it with perennial favorite, The Little Engine That Could.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2008 Booklist |
