Little Blue Truck
Author: Alice Schertle
Illustrator: Jill McElmurry
Published: 2008
Little Blue Truck is such a fantastic book! Although it was a little early to start reading this to Bobby, I have been since he turned 1 and he absolutely loves it!
The story is about a little blue truck who drives through the country and makes friends with all the animals on his way. He bumps into a big yellow dump truck who is not very friendly and rushes past him on the road. Eventually, the dump truck gets stuck and but because no one likes him he can’t get any help. Little Blue Truck decides to help, but gets himself stuck and since all the animals love him they give him a helping hand. By the end of the story the dump truck learns to be nice to others, make friends, and give them help when they need it and they will return the favor.
This book is so fun to read aloud to children because of the incredible rhyming text, great rhythm, and the sounds all the animals make. Children from a very young age will love hearing and learning about all the different animal sounds, as well as the truck’s “beep, beep, beep”. It will really keep their attention since the book is a bit long. As they grow they will learn more about the book 
and the lesson it is trying to teach. I can’t even begin to guess how many times I have read this book to my son and he loves it each and every time. As he gets older I find him making more of the sounds, reading it with me, and even trying to read the story by himself!
Jill McElmurry creates beautiful illustrations that perfectly accompany the text of the story. The browns, yellows, and greens used to create the background of the countryside really allow the bright blue of the truck to stand out. It really grabs your attention! I love the amount of detail used in the story and all the different things that children can look at while you read. There is always something that my son points to every time we read. The animals are also well drawn, but a bit differently than in other books. In some scenes they look a little funny, but I love them anyway. Also, their subtle facial expressions are done perfectly well to match the text of the story. These wonderful pictures are sure to capture your child’s attention.
Any child who is 18 months or older who loves animals or trucks will love this story! It will be on their shelf for many years!
Review by Chatter Hood
Review by Bookish Broads
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