Five Trucks: with audio recording

by Brian Floca, Brian Floca (Illustrator)

Overview

Trucks of different shapes and sizes share one important purpose in this classic picture book from the bestselling creator of Moonshot and Locomotive.

You have hurried
to be on time.

You look now
through a window
and see five trucks.

They are hurrying, too.

Where are they going?

Five drivers
for five trucks—
each has a job to do.

They hurry to be on time.

And then
they see you!

Originally published in 1999 by DK, Five Trucks features a new cover and plenty of exciting machines!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481405942
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	06/10/2014
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	360L (what's this?)
File size:	20 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Brian Floca is the author and illustrator of the acclaimed picture books Locomotive, winner of the Caldecott Medal and a New York Times bestseller; Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11; and Lightship, each a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book. He is the illustrator of numerous additional books, including Avi’s Poppy series. You can visit him online at BrianFloca.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/01/2014
PreS-Gr 2—With the sparest of texts, this book features airport vehicles rarely seen in preschool books as well as the trucks' diverse drivers (men and women of various ethnicities). Unlike most counting books, the story introduces ordinal numbers (first, second, etc.) rather than cardinals (one, two, three). On the second appearance of each truck, the text counts back from the fifth to the first truck, adding another concept covered in the book. It's when viewers see each truck for the second time that it is identified by name, e.g., catering truck, baggage conveyor, etc., in a different font, giving the feel of an informational book for young audiences. A wordless subplot about a boy with his dad and a colorful plaid suitcase starts on the title page. The suitcase is easily identifiable as it's loaded onto the plane. The story culminates with the boy waving to the drivers from his airplane seat. While the crisp, clear illustrations, rendered in watercolor, ink, and gouache, are uncluttered, there is much to talk about in the pictures. Whether shared with vehicle-loving youngsters or general audiences, this book should satisfy many listeners/viewers with its rich content and engaging art.—Maralita L. Freeny, District of Columbia Public Library

School Library Journal

"Five drivers for five trucks" begins this concept book, as five workers head out across a tarmac. A simple, descriptive statement on each spread introduces the trucks one at a time ("the first truck is large and heavy...the fourth truck twists and turns"); later spreads reveal the function of each truck. The slow, metered pace gains momentum as the spare information builds from spread to spread, culminating with the revelation that the five drivers and their trucks are preparing an airplane for take-off. Floca's watercolors zoom in on the machinery, showing the trucks and essential parts of the plane up close against washed-out backgrounds. The simplicity is engaging and age appropriate (even those who are clueless about airport operations will catch on quickly). And a second reading is even more fun than the first: at close inspection, there is more to see here than just a plane taking off. An orange-haired boy zooms a toy airplane across the inside front jacket flap toward the title page. And there he is on the title page tugging on Dad's belt and pointing out an oversized window while dad lugs an overstuffed, rainbow-colored plaid suitcase. We see the unmistakable suitcase again when "luggage is unloaded from the fourth truck" onto a (labeled) conveyor belt and when "the third truck carries luggage up its back" into the belly of the plane. And, lo and behold, there is the boy, waving from the airplane window just before take-off. Floca is adept at fleshing out and expanding our knowledge of the situation at hand with a few casual details. In the initial spread, one worker passes out cups of coffee as he catches up with the others. The following spread shows several discarded cups on the cab floor of the first truck-a subtle hint that the workers' routine is played out regularly. And, in the take-off scene, the workers wave to the departing plane, a simple gesture that effectively brings the boy's and the workers' stories together. Floca's ability to interweave so much story and atmosphere into a concept book is sure to raise our expectations of those to come. -- Horn Book Magazine

Marilyn Bousquin

Floca (The Frightful Story of Harry Walfish, 1997, etc.) offers a great explication of the small trucks that airline passengers see scurrying around jets on the runways. In brightly painted illustrations and simple descriptions, he introduces each vehicle, explains what it does, and shows it in action, e.g., the truck called the baggage conveyor is shown hoisting suitcases into the belly of the plane. All five trucks' duties point to a big finale when the plane takes off. Given preschoolers' well-documented fascination with heavy machinery, this book will strike a chord with young air travelers, and answer the questions of older travelers as well. (Picture book. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews