Heart-y Reading: Jon Scieszka's Trucktown: Melvin's Valentine by Jon Scieszka

Melvin got a Valentine!

But he didn't know who it was from.

This made Melvin worry.

Of course, everything makes Melvin the cement mixer worry. Trucktown's favorite worrywart asks everyone he meets, Kat the earth-mover, Pete the payloader, Lucy and Pat the firetrucks, but everyone denies the deed.

Only little Rescue Rita, following Melvin about with an occasional "Beep Beep," has nothing to say about the surprise missive until Melvin's anxiety level reaches the point of popping his oil pan, when she finally takes ownership of the card.

"Hey, Melvin! I'm so glad you showed everyone my Valentine!" says Rita.

"Your Valentine?" said Melvin. "Oh."

"I'm glad, too!"

For those emergent readers for whom Fancy Nancy's fuchsia glitter Valentines are just a few frou-frous over the line, Jon Scieszka's recent Trucktown easy reader, Melvin's Valentine (Trucktown Ready-to-Roll) (Aladdin, 2010) is just what Cupid ordered.

Scieszka, with his powerful pit crew of prize-winning illustrators (David Shannon, Loren Long, and David Gordon), is the gearhead-in-chief in his jolly Ready-to-Roll books for young emergent motorhead readers. See also his recent additions to this series, Snow Trucking! (Ready-to-Read. Level 1) and Kat's Mystery Gift (Trucktown Ready-to-Roll).