Truck Stop

April 15, 2013
A day in the life of a truck stop as told by its youngest worker, whose love for the place is very clear. A little boy and his parents start out before the sun is up to go to work at their busy truck stop beside the highway. The routine of their day will soothe readers: They prep the food, Uncle Marty opens the garage, and they wait for the regulars to make an appearance. "I love how they come rumbling their wheels, / and with air brakes whooshing." Sam and Eighteen-Wheeler are first. Uncle Marty checks tires while Mom puts in Sam's usual order. It's coffee and doughnuts for Maisie, who drives Milk Tank. Then come Diligent Dan's Moving Van and Digger riding on Flatbed. But where is Green Gus, the old pickup? Once Pete and Priscilla arrive in their Tow Truck, it's time for the boy to board Big Yellow Bus. Along the way, he spies Green Gus. Pete and Priscilla come to the rescue, and Uncle Marty gets to work. The trucks and drivers go their separate ways, but only until tomorrow. Iwai's mixed-media collage illustrations invite readers into the scenes with their bright colors and interesting textures. While a truck stop is a business, the text and artwork together spin a web around the boy and his family that make it seem quite homey, complete with good friends and good food. For truck lovers everywhere. (Picture book. 2-6)

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June 1, 2013

PreS-K-A boy describes a morning at his family's truck stop. He and his parents get up early and prepare for customers who have breakfast at the diner. Uncle Marty turns on the lights in the garage. All the regulars start arriving, including Maisie, who drives a milk tank, and Dan, who drives a moving van. Everyone has a "usual" order, like sausage and pancakes with lots of syrup. But the man who drives a green pickup is missing, and no one has seen him. Soon the Big Yellow Bus comes by and, on the way to school, the narrator spots Green Gus by the side of the road. The boy asks the bus driver to call the truck stop, and he knows that Pete and Priscilla's Tow Truck will come by, that Uncle Marty will fix the problem, and that the driver will have bacon and eggs sunny side up. Tomorrow the morning routine will play out all over again. The simple text and mixed-media illustrations tell the story well, and the endpapers display 16 different kinds of vehicles.This book will be a hit with youngsters who love trucks.-Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
Readers get a behind-the-scenes tour of a truck stop run by the young narrator's family. Rockwell's straightforward, high-energy text keeps this tribute to trucks and truck stops appealing for even the youngest truck fans. Iwai's mixed-media collage art uses texture, bright colors, and a variety of perspectives to draw readers in. Endpapers show the many types of vehicles that visit the truck stop.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2013
"Yes! We are OPEN" proclaims this book's cover. Once inside, readers get a behind-the-scenes tour of a truck stop run by the young narrator's family. Work starts before sunrise, and the dark-hued illustrations, lit with headlight beams of passing trucks, bring the early hour to life. "Another good morning has come!" pipes the chipper narration as the child describes, in easy-to-read text, the truck stop's workings. It serves fresh-squeezed orange juice and hot breakfast, and there is a gas station as well. Steady traffic from the regulars includes a diverse cast of drivers and many different vehicles: an eighteen-wheeler, a milk tank, a moving van, a tow truck, and the boy's school bus. Some tension is introduced when one regular doesn't show up ("Where is Green Gus?"), but the narrator saves the day by being an observant, quick-thinking problem solver. Rockwell's straightforward, high-energy text keeps this tribute to trucks and truck stops appealing for even the youngest truck fans. Iwai's mixed-media collage art uses texture, bright colors, and a variety of perspectives to draw readers in. Endpapers show the many types of vehicles that visit the truck stop. julie roach

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)