"Movin' On Out!" Road Crew, Coming Through! (Construction Sites) by Sherri Duskey Rinker

The workday is done. It's time to head out. But the highway is full; drivers cringe and shout!

It's time to call the Construction Crew. They're the guys who know what to do. It's time to build a bigger, better ...

. . . SUPER HIGHWAY, A MEGA ROAD.

SIX MIGHTY FRIENDS ARE ON THEIR WAY.

TO HELP WITH SOMETHING BIG TODAY.

All the usual suspects are there--Excavator, Dump Truck, and Skid Steer, to dig and and haul away. But...

SOMETHING NEW.

TO JOIN THE BIG ROAD BUILDING CREW.

(THERE'S A GIANT JOB TO DO!).

There are more needed on this job--Bulldozer clears the stumps and boulders, and Scraper smooths it all out. Water Truck comes along to sprinkle down the dust and keep the air clean. Scraper, Grader, Compacter, and Roller makes the roadbed flat and smooth and hard, yard by yard. Paver lays the blacktop down all around, Crane Truck adds the signs and lights, and Striper Truck paints the yellow and white lines so that the drivers know where they should go.

The job of the big machines, the Road Crew, is done ....

EVERYONE IS ON THEIR WAY--

HEADING HOME TO END THEIR DAY.

The moon is rising; the time is right.--Time for a good night back at the construction site.

Sherri Duskey Rinker, the celebrated prolific writer about those beloved BIG MACHINES, from cranes to trains, introduces them all from her first builder book, to her latest in her new Construction Sites series, Construction Site: Road Crew, Coming Through! (Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site) (Chronicle Books, 2021)

With Rinker's pleasant, bouncy, and rhyming versification, and illustrator AG Ford's jolly anthropomorphic construction rigs happily on the job, this one is sure to please preschoolers and primary readers of the motorhead persuasion who would love to park Rinker's books on their bookshelf.

Share this new one with Sherry Duskey Rinker's Construction Site: Mission Demolition! (Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site), and Construction Site: Merry and Bright: A Christmas Lift-the-Flap Book (Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site)

Back on the Job : Mighty, Mighty Construction Site by Sherry Duskey Rinker

Down in the big construction site,
Five trucks wake to morning light.

Little Power Shovel seems to be giving a lift to the rising sun, as the usual suspects--Dump Truck, 'Dozer, Cement Mixer, and little Excavator--feel their diesels beginning to rev up and rumble. It's time to get up and get on the job.

After all, they're professionals.

But at the new construction site, when the blueprint for the new job is unrolled, the gang of five's headlights blink with surprise.

They stare in awe--the biggest thing they ever saw.

The little crew realizes that, as good as they are, they are going to have to have some help on this new construction site.

Cement Mixer hits his horn with a loud, long blast.

Mighty trucks all heard the call.
They started up in no time at all.

Out on the road they drive, full steam.
They rush right in to join the team.

And soon the new guys--Skid Steer, Backhoe, Flatbed, Front Loader, and Pumper--are working away, already members of the new crew. Together they're movers and shakers, and as the sun sinks lower, warming the scene with its red-gold light, they take pride in how much they've accomplished together.

Cooperation got it done.
Teamwork made it fast and fun.

In her brand-new companion book to her perpetual best-seller, Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site (read review here) Sherry Duskey Rinker has another hard-hat hit in her Mighty, Mighty Construction Site (Chronicle Books, 2017), illustrated with gloriously lighted scenes and hardware humor by major artist Tom Lichtenheld.

Rinker and Lichtenheld are themselves exemplars of teamwork, with Rinker's romping rhymes melding well with Lichtenheld's charmingly anthropomorphic big machines with personality plus, doing whatever it takes to get the job done. This new one is perfect for young gearheads who delight in dump trucks and mighty diggers and a delight to the eye with the Lichtenheld's flowing spreads done up in the colors of raw earth. Says School Library Journal, "Filled with vibrant illustrations and rich vocabulary, this rhyming tale is sure to make readers grin as brightly as the smiling vehicles in the book!"

Pint-Sized Power! Three Cheers for Kid McGear by Sherry Duskey Rinker

It's no "Goodnight, Construction Site" for the hard-working heavy-duty machines on this job. It's early morning and this construction site is a fright!

They're all revved up, but this job looks pretty tough. Their work site is at the bottom of a bluff. But then, a flatbed drops off a new member of their crew.

The tarp comes off
and there--SURPRISE!
The crew cannot believe their eyes!

They turn and stare
At the tiny truck that's sitting there.

"I'm a skid steer--Kid McGear!" she says.

The big shovel and back-hoe and and bulldozer try to be polite to their new crew member, but they make it clear she's too small to be of any help at all.

But when Bulldozer and Shovel try to drive down the steep slope to the work site, they start to slip and slide.

HELP

Trapped in trees and mud and rubble,
Excavators--in big trouble.

But Kid McGear has the finesse and all the right moves to get the job back on track, in Sherry Duskey Rinker's latest jolly construction site story, Three Cheers for Kid McGear!: (Family Read Aloud Books, Construction Books for Kids, Children's New Experiences Books, Stories in Verse) (Chronicle Books, 2019), which introduces a new character who uses her speed and quick maneuvers to save the day for her crew, introduced in her top-selling Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site (Board Book for Toddlers, Children’s Board Book). (See reviews here) Kid McGear brings a bit of girl power to this power machinery crew in Rinker's latest installment in this beloved modern classic series, illustrated with the customary verve, zest, and personality plus by artist AG Ford.

Sharing and Caring on Site! Construction Site on Christmas Night by Sherry Dusky Rinker

It's a starry and snowy twilight down at the new construction site. What can all the big work vehicles be building on Christmas Eve?

The last big project of the year;

The team slamming into gear.

The pressure is on. A building is going up, an important building for everyone in the town. Can the crew come through?

Bulldozer's deadline is almost here.

He has a lot of ground to clear.

But Bulldozer's a pushy guy. He knows the whole crew has to wait until the site is smooth and clear. And as he finishes his shift, he finds a huge gift--a custom-made carbon steel blade.

But as Bulldozer heads to the barn, Excavator rolls onto the scene to dig the foundation, soon completed with elation! But as he heads for his berth, what meets his eyes is a big surprise--a new yellow scoop!

Cement mixer speedily putt-putts in, ready to pour concrete for the floor, and as it sets, he finds out what he gets--a gift! Who from? It's a spanking-new drum! And with a VROOM, Dump Truck hauls in bricks and mortar to build up the walls.

His tires are shot, but he gives it all he's got.

And before he retires, he gets the gift of new tires!

Then Crane Truck takes over to top off the building, and he finishes just in time to put the star on top! And best of all, his gift is a red and green wrecking ball.

The machines come through with their gift to the city--the town has a brand-new fire station with berths for fire engines and emergency vehicles. The construction site crew have come through together, in Sherry Duskey Rinker's latest, Construction Site on Christmas Night (Chronicle Books, 2018). A sweet holiday salute to work and cooperation, Rinker's rhythmic, rhyming storytelling is a satisfying tale of the values of work and joyous giving just right for this holiday season. AG Ford capably steps in to fill the big shoes of artist Tom Lichtenheld who illustrated her best-selling Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and Mighty, Mighty Construction Site (reviews here) with lovely snowy evening scenes in familiar style, right down to the big Star resting in little Excavator's bucket. This story is a special gift to Rinker's young readers....

For all that's given and received,

And all that blessed this Christmas Eve...

A happy Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight--from the Construction Site.

Getting to the Bottom of It! Peek-A-Flap DIG! by Jay Garrett

AT A CONSTRUCTION SITE, DIFFERENT KINDS OF MACHINES HAVE DIFFERENT JOBS TO DO!

Kids and puppies love to dig, and Jaye Garett's Dig: Peek-a-Flap Board Book will make at least fifty percent of that bunch VERY happy.

This brightly illustrated board book offers a pair of sturdy lift-the-flap opportunities on each page which help the very youngest lovers of big diggers learn the names and jobs of their favorite construction machines.

Accompanied by colorful illustrations by Mattia Cerato, each one is revealed doing what they do best. Featured machines are the crane and wrecking ball, level, asphalt mixer and layer, front loader, excavators and power shovels, all with their own special flap and additional information for the older construction fanciers. Little fingers will love lifting the flaps as young readers learn to identify the machines inside.

A few run-throughs of this book and youngsters will be ready for a rhyming romp through Sherry Duskey Rinker's best-seller, Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site and Rinker's diurnal cycle sequel, Mighty, Mighty Construction Site (see review here).

Movin' It: Digger, Dozer, Dumper by Hope Vestergaard

ARE YOU QUICK? OR SLOW OR STEADY? THERE'S A TRUCK FOR YOU.

ARE YOU PRECISE? OR REALLY STRONG? WE'VE GOT WORK TO DO.

Kids who long for BIG and powerful construction behemoths will find lots to love in Hope Vestergaard's
Digger, Dozer, Dumper(Candlewick Press, 2013). With plenty of friendly-looking but detailed illustrations of such power movers, the usual suspects--dump trucks, garbage trucks, and power shovels going all the way back to Virginia Burton's Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, --illustrator David Slonim adds more exotic earth movers--skid-steer loaders, excavators, and backhoes, who prep the site for the steam roller and cement mixer to step in and lay the foundation for the steel monkeys to build upon.

Meanwhile, out on the road, there are semis, ambulances, fire trucks, cherry pickers, and tow trucks to choose among.

But in addition to her catalog of big machines, it is in her savvy rhyming descriptions that Vestergaard's text shines.

WHO MADE THIS HOLE? A DIGGER?
TOO SMALL? SHE'LL MAKE IT BIGGER!

HER NAME? THE EXCAVATOR.
HER JOB? SMOOTH OPERATOR.

With a street sweeper whose "steely whiskers whisper/ as they gather dust and dirt," and the dump truck who, when "the gravel starts to spill...makes a little hill," Vestergaard's narrative sings, positively poetic. A super storytime companion to Sherry Duskey Rinker's modern classic, Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site. (Read my review here.)

Sleep In, Mr. Sandman! The Nice Dream Truck by Beth Ferry

YOU MIGHT HEAR A TUNE, YOU MIGHT BE IN LUCK.

>

YOU MIGHT GET A VISIT FROM THE NICE DREAM TRUCK....

GET READY FOR BED, SERVING UP DREAMS . . . IN YOUR HEAD.

Driven by an appropriately starry-eyed driver, the dream truck serves up sweet dreams about summer or snow time fun, plenty of puppies, gumdrop dragons or scary hairy monsters.

MAKE UP YOUR MIND.

HOLD OUT YOUR BOWL AND GET READY TO FIND

A DISH FULL OF DREAMS THAT WAS SCOOPED JUST FOR YOU

BY THIS MAGICAL PAIR WHO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE.

In her latest, The Nice Dream Truck (Harper, 2021), best-selling author Beth Ferry likens going to sleep to meeting an ice cream truck with delicious sweet dreams for any taste, all done up in tasty rhyming text and inviting light and airy illustrations that float across delish double-page spreads by artist Brigette Barrager.

From Eugene Field's classic sleep-inducing sailing ship in Wynken, Blynken, and Nod to Sherry Duskey Rinker's Steam Train, Dream Train (Easy Reader Books, Reading Books for Children), the author serves up a yummy modern metaphor for a dish of sweet dreams from the bedtime frozen goodies truck--not just frozen treats but all the kinds of tempting future daring deeds and adventures for youngsters who board their favorite food truck for a glorious good night!

So take a break and sleep late, Mr. Sandman, and leave the driving to us! Sweet dreams to all and to all a good night!

Puns School Library Journal, "The Nice Dream Truck has something perfect to dish up for every dreamer."

Keep on Truckin': Monster Trucks by Mark Todd

MONSTER TRUCKS! MONSTER TRUCKS!

GREEN GARGLING GARBAGE TRUCKS.

EATING AND CRUNCHING,

MUNCHING AND SLURPING,

JUST DON'T BE AROUND

WHEN THIS GUY STARTS BURPING.

Yep. Stink Brothers Garbage Company is on the move, taking on all comers and giving off a powerful parfum de refuse. But in the busy world of big vehicles, Stinky has plenty of cohorts and helpers in construction and haulage. There's Dump Truck Chuck, who tipples tons of dirt, the determined Dozer who snarls and scrapes with his shovel blade, and Suds the Sanitation Department Street Sweeper who scrubs the streets before the morning rush.

Although their names--Mr. Moo Milk Truck, Big Red Firetruck, Mr. Salty the Snowplow, and Smoosh the Steam Roller--conjure up images of cozy Sherry Duskey Rinker-esque equipment bidding the construction site nighty-night, Mark Todd's Monster Trucks! (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015) are some truck-ulent bad boys, with a lean, mean look on their anthropomorphic faces. Todd's trucks are personified by windows, headlights, and grills forming their tooth-knashing, eye-glaring facial features, and these all-business builders and haulers proudly show off their metallic mechanical parts like body-builders show off their massive biceps and pecs. Preschoolers and primary-grade gearheads will love Todd's detailed but comic drawings and giggle at his irresistible alliterative and onomatopoeic rhymes constructed to fit each monster machine.

SLIME-SUCKING SWEEPER TRUCKS
SNORTING AND SCRUBBING
WITH A BIG BRISTLY BRUSH--
CLEANING THE STREETS
FOR THE 9 O'CLOCK RUSH.

Todd's new board-book edition of Monster Trucks! belongs in the bibliographic garage with other storied giants of vehicledom, Todd's fresh and delicious Food Trucks! Jon Scieszka's Welcome to Trucktown! (Jon Scieszka's Trucktown) and sequels, Kate and Mike McMullan's mighty movers I Stink!, I'm Dirty! and sequels, and Chris Gall's Dinotrux books. (See even more mighty vehicle tales here).

Excavators Xmas! Where Do Diggers Celebrate Christmas? by Brianna Caplan Sayres

WHERE DO MIXERS CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS
AFTER A DAY OF HIGHWAY FIXING?
DO THEY GATHER WITH THEIR FAMILIES
FOR SOME HOMEY EGGGNOG MIXING?

How do big construction machines spend Christmas?

After a year of excavation, big machines are ready for some celebration.

Forklifts lift tons of toys and treats, and food trucks morph into menus for Christmas eats.

And where there's some holiday ice, Zambonis make it smooth and nice.

And every tiny tot wants to know...

WHERE DO TOW TRUCKS SPEND CHRISTMAS
AFTER TOWING CARS ALL DAY?
DO THEY TRADE PLACES WITH THE REINDEER
AND HELP SANTA CLAUS PULL HIS SLEIGH?

What do diggers do? Just what we do at Christmastide, in Brianna Caplan Sayres jolly new Where Do Diggers Celebrate Christmas? (Random House, 2018). Author Sayres offers up warm servings of Yuletide quatrains about big machines having holiday fun, while noted artist Christian Slade provides the charming Christmasy caricatures of construction equipment in their holiday habitats, in a picture book with scads of kid appeal, especially in the closing in which the big machines morph into their toy versions waiting under the tree for those little fans of things that go VRROOOMMM! VRROOOMMM! Pair this one with Sherry Duskey Rinker's newest best-seller, Construction Site on Christmas Night, (recent review here) for a timely twosome for a little motorhead lover's Christmas stocking.

Midnight Special: Night Train: A Journey from Dawn to Dusk by Annie Cronin Romano

Night train wakens to the dusk,
Journey starting, day departing--

The romance of the steam train--the rhythm of the rails, the chug and the clatter, the screech of the brakes and the lonesome whistle--all are the subject of Annie Cronin Romano's book, Night Train: A Journey from Dusk to Dawn (Page Street Kids, 2019), on the continuing mysterious appeal of the midnight special, its headlight piercing the dark and its horn blowing for the crossing as it moves through the dark, mostly sleeping world.

Its drivers driving, its smokestack billowing, the night train crosses the trestles over the rivers, pushes through tunnels underground, blows by small stations, dark and deserted, steams by small towns sleeping, snug and safe.

Boxcars rattle, spooking cattle.
steady crawling, never-stalling, night train.

As it passes through dark wheat fields, cattle standing like sleeping statues, or horses racing the train in their fields, perhaps those people lying awake in the wee hours find reassurance that the night train is on duty, getting the goods to people who will be waking soon, moving sleepy people in the passenger cars to their destinations, a trusty servant who doesn't mind working the night shift.

Author Annie Cronin Romano captures that romance of the legendary midnight train in her forthcoming book with lyrical blank verse that conveys the sound and presence of that train as it makes its way, left to right, through the dark world and through her picture book until the break of dawn ends its run, backed up by Ileana Soon's blue-black illustrations of the train and the landscapes it traverses, until it comes to rest, its work done for the day.

Journey finished, dark diminished--
sunlight streaming
finally dreaming
night train.

Says Kirkus Reviews, "Romano's rhythmic poem is filled with repeated sounds, internal rhymes, and evocative imagery...Soothing words and steady rhythm make a solid bedtime story for young listeners..."

For younger sleepyheads, pair this one with Sherry Duskey Rinker's top-selling Steam Train, Dream Train (review here), or for somewhat older bed-goers, share Andrea Rosenbaum's exceptional Trains Don't Sleep (review here).

Goodnight, Goodnight, Vehicles of Flight! Where Do Jet Planes Sleep at Night? by Brianna Caplan Sayres

We know where Santa's sleigh is parked tonight. But where do big airliners go after unloading passengers at their gates and their baggage into carts on the tarmac?

DO DADS SHARE BEDTIME TALES OF TRANS-ATLANTIC FLIGHTS?

Do the big 777s say nighty-night with tall tales of their long hauls to Australia?

WHERE DO SKYWRITING PLANES SLEEP AFTER WRITING IN THE SKY?

What about all the other smaller planes seen in the sky? What about those other flying vehicles like hang gliders and hot-air balloons? And where does Air Force One go to rest when the President is back in bed at the White House?

Where do all those awesome aircraft go when their workdays are done?

Why, they're hanging out in their home hangars with their families, tucked into their berths by their mom and daddy planes with hugs and a nice change of oil and a bedtime story, in Brianna Caplan Sayres' newest in her series, Where Do Jet Planes Sleep at Night? (Random House, 2017, where they have sweet dreams--

THEY DREAM OF TAKE-OFFS AND LANDINGS.

With comically anthropomorphic flying machines of all kinds, illustrator Chris Slade keeps 'em flying, with a cozy place to park their engines and wings when it's time for a comfy layover, just like their little human admirers, and Sayres' storytelling leads little lovers of aircraft toward parking themselves in their own little hangars for the night, while also introducing many types of flight. Says Kirkus Reviews, "Combining a quiet, nocturnal story with the ever popular subject of flying machines, this is a nifty bedtime book for budding aviators."

And for fans of Sherry Duskey Rinker's best-sellers, Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site and Steam Train, Dream Train 1-2-3, share this one with others in Sayres' cozy series, such as Where Do Steam Trains Sleep at Night? or Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?