LITTLE BLUE TRUCK

Tom Stechschulte’s narration emphasizes the rhythm and rhyme of this toddler favorite. Cheerful Little Blue Truck rolls along, befriending a toad and a collection of farm animals. When Little Blue “beeps,” the animals provide a predictable farmyard chorus. And when an imperious dump truck barrels by, the farm’s serenity vanishes. But Little Blue and friends find offers of help and friendship. Stechschulte elongates his “beep, beep, beeps,” and listeners can’t help but feel the story’s beat: “Head to head and rump to rump, they all pushed Blue, who pushed the dump.” His leisurely pacing offers time to savor, to learn, and to repeat the fun phrases. A.R. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2012]