Drive

Reviewed by: Deidre Walsh - Goodall Library, Sanford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 4, 2016

Review

"Drive" will fly off the shelves. What baby/toddler doesn't love trucks? There is a nice twist in this truck book. This is also a simple story about a father who works as a truck driver but always comes home to his family. The text is simple and minimal. Usually partial sentences of 3-4 words per page. Not only is this a book for sharing with babies and toddlers. But it would also work well as a beginning reader. The words are simple and familiar to children. There is some repetition. And the text is minimal so young readers won't be overwhelmed. I don't know how the illustrations were created. But they are bold, clear,& simple. They depict the essence of the story. The only problem I have with the illustrations is about half way through the book. On one page the shading in the illustration makes the truck driver father look like a different person than portrayed throughout the rest of the book. That being said, it does not distract from the enjoyment of the book as a whole. And I doubt a small child would even pick up on the shading. This is a slightly larger board book than the average, so it would work well in a story time setting. The bold, simple illustrations lend themselves to easy viewing from a distance. It would also work well in small group settings and in one on one sharing. Pair with "Trucks: Whizz! Zoom! Rumble!" by Patricia Hubbell, and "Get to Work Trucks" by Don Carter for a truck themed story time. Teachers could also use this book in a pre-k and kindergarten class for a career day theme. This is a worthy purchase for most libraries.

Overall Book Score: good