Big Trucks, Big Wheels

Christy Conte is a member of the Parents Advisory Committee at the
YMCA’s Parent and Child Enrichment Centre, and a journalist.

This is a bright, graphics-laden look at all the types of trucks a child
might see on the road today. Fourteen varieties are featured, including
pumpers, wreckers, big rigs, and the ever-popular monster truck.
Descriptions are short, and the language is suitable for preschoolers as
well as beginning readers.

The design is on the busy side. Adding to the clutter is the variety of
media used—photos, cartoonlike illustrations, and realistic line
drawings. A devoted little truck lover will no doubt overlook these
style points. More troubling is the author’s use of children in many
of the photos. In one, a boy has climbed up a dump truck’s back ladder
and is shown peering in over the dumper. In another, four children are
riding in the back of an open 4 x 4 box. A disclaimer warns children not
to imitate the kids in the pictures, but how many youngsters are likely
to heed this “Do as I say, not do as I do” message? Not recommended.