Red truck, yellow truck by Michelle Robinson, illustrated by Tuya Jez

Michelle Robinson is a British author; whenever I've gotten my hands on one of her picture books I've always found them a funny, exuberant read-aloud and usually quite popular with my young listeners. The most recent of her books that I've purchased for the library are Tooth Fairy in Training and Ten Fat Sausages, so I was pleased to see that she's turned to another popular topic, vehicles.

Four perky dogs set off in their yellow dump truck and red crane. Along the way, and through the seasons, they encounter a wide variety of trucks and vehicles in and around the city and help out many other dogs, work on construction projects, and encounter plenty of mud and mess. Finally, after a long day, the red and yellow truck are left in their garages and the two pairs separate into their own cars to go off home. There are some confusing aspects - the trucks are shown driving through green fields, helping a snow plow and lifting a tree from the snow, and encountering mud puddles, but it's also implied that all the action happens in one day.

Jez' illustrations are bright and cheerful, showing a dog-themed city, plenty of different trucks and other vehicles in the town and country, and lots of different breeds of dogs driving, working, walking, and enjoying the country and town. Robinson's brisk rhymes will make this a popular storytime book, although the detailed illustrations will probably work better for a smaller audience.

Verdict: I reviewed this from an electronic copy, which isn't my favorite format, but it appears to be a fun addition to construction and vehicle-themed storytime books and worth adding if you need some additional or new titles in this area.

ISBN: 9781682633021; Published August 2021 by Peachtree; Egalley provided by publisher for review