Construction Site

August 1, 2021
There's no crew like a familiar crew! Rinker's perpetually cheery vehicles are back to build a road. From construction crew to road crew, the intrepid heroes that first made their appearance in Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld (2011), have returned yet again, with Ford illustrating, as he has since 2018. In this new iteration, the team has settled in a land of mesas, cacti, and scrub. Joined by new vehicles Compacter, Scraper, Grader, Roller, Striper, Water Truck, and Paver, they are given plans to construct a route "from here...to there," and there's not a moment to lose. After all, this isn't just any road. It's a "SUPERHIGHWAY, MEGA ROAD!" The rhyming text follows each piece of equipment as they do their part in paving the dusty landscape. In the course of a day (or so it would appear) the road is finished. That cars and trucks are able to use it immediately strains at the tensile strength of adult credulity, but construction-loving tots won't care a jot. And conflict-averse youngsters needn't worry, as not a thing goes wrong. To offset some of the natural concerns regarding the construction of superhighways, the book takes care to include wildlife crossings within the illustrations and adds an explanation at the end about their necessity. Vehicles are identified with both male and female pronouns throughout. (This book was reviewed digitally.) This is one road kids will be happy to travel again. (Picture book. 3-6)

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September 15, 2021
Preschool-Kindergarten At dawn, a crew of 13 road-construction trucks gather in the desert before rolling onward, headed toward a nearby city: "Compactor, scraper, and grader cheer-HONK! / Roller and Striper get into gear. VROOM! / Water Truck is set to go. / And Paver's pipes both snort and blow! HUFF!" The main section of the book spotlights one or two vehicles at a time as they carry out the excavating, bulldozing, and heavy hauling operations, followed by the scraping and watering, compacting and grading. After laying down asphalt and rolling the surface, signs and lights are hung, and stripes are added to the roadway. As the sun sets, the trucks look back at their road with satisfaction. Rinker, whose popular series of picture books began with Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site (2011), now offers basic information on how trucks are used to build highways. Created using wax oil crayons, the illustrations feature clearly delineated views of cheerful, determined-looking vehicles at work within appealing, vibrantly colorful scenes. A picture book that's sure to attract young truck fans.

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