  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 07/01/2008 PreS-Folksy rhyming stanzas introduce readers to Blue, the eponymous pickup truck, and the barnyard critters he greets as he navigates the country roads near his farmhouse. The first half of the book is an enchanting, toddler-entrancing symphony of animal noises and beeps. The cheerful text mimics the bouncing of the truck, and the warm folk-art illustrations call to mind the paintings of Grandma Moses. Then it begins to rain, and a mean, self-important dump truck enters the story. When the Dump gets mired in the mud and honks for help, he gets no response: "nobody heard/(or nobody cared)." Then Blue drives into the puddle to assist, but also gets stuck. When Blue cries for help, the animals rush to the rescue. From this, the dump truck learns that "a lot depends/on a helping hand/from a few good friends." While the message might be a little heavy-handed, this is still a fun, rollicking story that should find a place in most collections.-Rachael Vilmar, Eastern Shore Regional Library, Salisbury, MD Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. - Copyright 2008 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Bulletin for the Center... - 06/01/2008 “Horn went ‘Beep!’/ Engine purred./ Friendliest sounds/ you ever heard.” So enters a little blue truck into an amiable rural landscape populated with an array of livestock, each of whom greets the passing little truck, who beeps a cheerful response. A big ol’ dump truck is less friendly, however, roaring down the country lane focused only on his goal, until he’s caught in a mud puddle and needs the assistance of the Little Blue Truck and all the animals he initially ignored to get him out again. The manifestation of the message is somewhat questionable, since it’s not like a little blue truck is any more congenial to the natural world than a dump truck, but there’s validity in the underlying idea that we’ll all need each other so it’s a bad idea to start off with a cold shoulder. The compact rhyming lines have an appealing laconic folksiness, and the various barnyard and automotive utterances add to the story’s performance value. The gouache illustrations have a retro flavor, with a friendly, stylized technique and earthy palette that slightly suggests the Provensens; delicate details of careful patterning in texture and leaves never interfere with the feeling of rural simplicity, and alert viewers will notice the progression of the day from pinky-skied dawn through leaden gray rain to beaming blue skies at the happy finale. Kids who enjoyed the cumulation, filth, and barnyard elements of Plourde’s Pigs in the Mud in the Middle of the Rud (BCCB 2/97) will enjoy the perky service of the Little Blue Truck. DS - Copyright 2008 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Booklist - 04/01/2008 In pointed tribute to good hearts and amiable natures everywhere, Schertle contrasts a huge dump truck, hurtling self-importantly down a country road, with a small pickup that greets each farm animal met along the way with a friendly “Beep!” When the dump truck bogs down in a deep slough, its cries of distress go unanswered. When the pickup gets stuck while trying to help, the animals rush in to lend a hearty push. Dedicating her illustrations to her own little truck, McElmurry creates crisply drawn rural scenes featuring a pair of driverless, animate vehicles mired in muck that leaves all and sundry well spattered by the end. Freed at last, the dump truck exhibits a radical change of attitude (“Now I see / a lot depends / on a helping hand / from a few good friends!”) before roaring off on its appointed task and leaving the animals to board the smaller truck for a noisy ride. Along with being a natural for storytime, this upbeat tale may spark a discussion about friendships and helping one another. - Copyright 2008 Booklist. Loading...
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