Little Bear is four months old, so reading to him can really be hit or miss. If he's in the right mood, he'll smile and listen for five or six books!
If he's not... I'm lucky to finish one.
This book, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way, has been the exception. Yesterday afternoon he was in the middle of a crying fit and by page three he was smiling! This book is the first one that's had him giggling.
Maybe it's all the car sounds that he loves to hear mommy doing, maybe it's the beautiful art, or maybe it's the fact that it's so big. The copy we borrowed is a board book the size of most standard picture books. Whatever the reason, he's quite in love with it.
We've never read the first one, though a friend highly recommended it. It's been out every time we've gone, but when I saw this one, I grabbed it immediately. If this one is anything to go off of, we're in for a treat when we get the first one.
The story has a fun rhythm to it, the rhymes come quite easily as you read it, something that's always important to a good picture book. Ease of reading is very important, especially if it's something you're going to read over and over.
The story is really good as well (another important thing!) Little Blue Truck goes to the big city and, partly because he's so much slower than the too-fast city cars, and partly because everyone is being selfish, everyone gets stuck in a great big traffic jam!
Little Blue Truck has something to say about all this. With a few sweet lines, he explains to everyone the importance of being kind, thinking about others, and taking turns. The mayor of the city hears the speech and agrees, and sets everyone in a line, with Little Blue Truck leading the way. Kindness wins the day, once again!
This story hits all the really important things about picture books; easy to read, beautiful art, and a really good story told in a few simple lines. For whatever the reason that my four month old loves it, I'll keep reading it to Little Bear until it stops making him giggle.
Alice Schertle is the author of 40+ children's books, including seven Little Blue Truck books. She was born in California and now lives in Plainfield, Massachusetts.
Commentaires