From the Publisher
Praise for Three Grumpy Trucks:
Amazon's Best Books of June 2021, Baby to Age 2
"This surefire hit with construction fans happily bestows some much-needed sympathy on those caregivers wrangling with little 'trucks' of their own."—Kirkus Reviews
"Art may imitate life, but Tarpley and Parker-Rees aren't here to say 'gotcha.' They're sympathetic to the toys and their owner, and show that with patience...and unconditional love...the trucks will live to dig another day."—Publishers Weekly
"Young readers and parents will see the parallel to times when children don't notice their elevated emotions until they reach a breaking point, through a humorous story written in verse."—Colorado Parent Magazine
Kirkus Reviews
2018-06-24
Heck hath no fury like a toy whose playtime has been interrupted.Tarpley offers up another misbehaving toy trio with a kid thrust into the role of parent (Beep! Beep! Go to Sleep!, 2015). On a sunny day, a hard hat-clad child scooters to the playground, taking three toy trucks along. The trucks thoroughly enjoy whirring, grinding, chomping, and more. Three times their child guardian tells them they must leave, and two times they whine to stay longer—pitching an all-out hissy fit the third. Soothed in her arms (in a surprise twist, the child's construction helmet is removed to reveal a ponytail and the narrative introduces the feminine pronoun), they calm down and are brought home to dream of digging adventures to come. Tarpley keeps the short and rhyming text perky with blessedly perfect scansion. And thanks to the positioning of child as parental figure, kids may find themselves sympathizing with both the temper-tantrum-ers and the temper-tantrum-ee. Pleasant, cartoonish art rendered in watercolors, pastels, and colored pencils give the book a mild jolt of pep.This surefire hit with construction fans happily bestows some much-needed sympathy on those caregivers wrangling with little "trucks" of their own. (Picture book. 3-6)
