Bulldozer friends by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha

 This fourth picture book in a series about various vehicles has Oliver, a small white boy, going to school. In his preschool, he and his friend Annie, who is Black, enjoy a wide variety of activities. However, their favorite thing is using the construction toys in the big sand area. Oliver's favorite is the bulldozer, but he and Annie use them all. As they play, they imagine themselves driving the vehicles in real-life size, building tunnels, and moving the dirt around. Playtime over, they clean up after themselves, return to the classroom for storytime, and then go home with their respective families.

This is a very simple, attractive story with text that consists mostly of short statements. "I like to dig with Annie. We are a team." However, it adds a more social dimension to the imaginative play of the previous books by pairing Oliver with Annie and the other children in their classroom. There's a friendly mix of diverse abilities and races, including a child in a wheelchair. I especially appreciated the realism shown in the classroom, with a class of fifteen small children and different needs and behaviors shown, especially in the storyroom picture. One child is standing at the back, waving and moving around, another is on a chair, watching them, while others sit or stand. Use to diversify your collections of vehicles and to include gender and race diversity in children's play.

Verdict: This is one of those rare titles that will appeal to toddlers as well as preschoolers and the imaginative sequences are perfect for little diggers. The inclusion of a Black girl is a much-needed addition.

ISBN: 9781250304032; Published November 2020 by Henry Holt; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library