Hansel and Diesel by David Gordon

Not sure how I missed this one since I reviewed David Gordon's other books . Like the others, this book follows the story of the traditional folk tale of Hansel and Gretel. I tried not to chuckle while reading it to Ricky because instead of the house made of candy, Hansel and Gretel, who are trucks, of course - stumble upon "brightly colored lights, shiny gas pumps, huge tanks of fuel, and piles and piles of brand new tires." The gas pumps are striped like candy canes. Very cute! The evil winch then tries to shred Hansel and Gretel with saw blades.

It has a good ending and it is done well. At times it can be a bit wordy, but it's a good story overall. Ricky loved it. I always love David Gordon's books. He's a great children's writer and illustrator. Great to be able to do it all!

SMASH! CRASH! by Jon Scieszka, Illustrations by David Shannon, Loren Long, David Gordon, & Dan Potash

Finally! This is what I've been looking for in books - Trucktown!! Nothing like a bunch of creative people making all kinds of truck and vehicle characters! There are several interesting names attached to this book.

You may recognize the name of David Gordon whose books The Three Little Rigs and The Ugly Truckling appeared on my blog last year. I am a big fan of his - as well as Loren Long - whose illustrations for The Little Engine That Could were just classic. A review on that is soon to come. Jon Scieszka's Stinky Cheese book is really funny - and I plan on reading it to Ricky soon.

But back to the book! Best friend trucks Jack and Dan run around smashing and crashing throughout the book. Tons of visual fun for those kids in love with all kinds of trucks. I can't wait to see what other books these guys come up with!! Check out their Trucktown website - there is a section for kids, parents, and librarians (cool).

Published 2008 by Simon and Schuster

An Absolute MUST When Travelling With Your Toddler: Little Sticker Books!!!

When Mark and I were planning our trip to visit my sister in Boston over the summer, I was on a mission to find new and exciting things to occupy Ricky throughout the trip. I am talking about situations when he wants to whine because he is bored. This could be when you are waiting in the security line at the airport, waiting at the gate, waiting to take-off, waiting to de-plane, etc etc. The situations are limitless. I discovered these little sticker books at 2 mom-and-pop book/toy shops in Chicago and they saved my life!

These books are small - about 3 x 5 inches and they fit in your purse or diaper bag very well. They come in multiple themes - as you can see from my picture. Some have a scene where you have to put the stickers (for example, a railroad station where you have to put the boxcars, people, luggage, etc.) and some are just stickers to play with. They only cost me $1 to $1.50 each and they proved to be one of the best inventions (besides the portable DVD player) for travelling with your toddler.

Five Trucks by Brian Floca

I think this might be the second Brian Floca book I've reviewed. The first one was Racecar Alphabet. All I know is, this guy has a good thing going - he writes & illustrates his own books.

This book is about 5 different kinds of trucks that prepare a plane to take-off. The language is simple, so it's great for toddlers. I especially like the fact that it uses the powers - first truck, second truck, third truck, etc. because I haven't run across many picture books that touch on this concept. I find this book interesting because it describes preparation for take-off for planes - which is also something rarely written about. A great read-along.

Building With Dad by Carol Nevius

For all those kids who are fascinated with construction equipment, this is the book (or one of them) for you. The story is about a little boy who is on site as his dad helps to construct the new school. The illustrations are pretty sharp and look true-to-life. The book opens length-wise - something very unique to picture books. Once you start to flip the pages and see the illustrations, it's quite understood why it is this way. The story is sweet, unique, and easy to read. Ricky identified with the boy and said the daddy was his daddy and they were going to build a school together.

The Three Little Rigs & The Ugly Truckling by David Gordon

These books are great to read! The Three Little Rigs is (of course) similar to the classic The Three Pigs and tells the story of three rigs who manage to avoid the torture from a mean wrecking ball. The story and illustrations are fantastic. My son loves this book and I dread the day when I have to return it to the library.

The Ugly Truckling follows the classic The Ugly Duckling and tells the story of a plane who is born into a family of trucks. It is sad but in the end, of course, realizes it is a great airplane. This book is great to read too.