A Fire Truck for Chuck

by Annika Dunklee, Cathon (Illustrator)

Overview

At a yard sale with his mom, among the toys for sale, Chuck spots a fire truck. It only costs a buck—what luck! Mom buys Chuck the truck, and he loves everything about it. At home, he plays with it nonstop: in the sandbox, the yard, and the mud. But after bath time, once Chuck is squeaky clean, his fire truck is nowhere to be seen!



Dumbstruck, Chuck hunts all over the house. Where is his truck?! Was it sucked up into the vacuum, now stuck? Finally, Chuck and his truck are reunited, just in time for bed.



Told not in verse but with plenty of fun rhyme and repetition, this story’s bright, cartoon-like art conveys Chuck’s full range of emotions. With humor and warmth, it’s a lovable read-aloud that captures a child’s joy for their favorite toy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771472852
Publisher:	Owlkids Books
Publication date:	03/15/2018
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	755,480
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 7.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

ANNIKA DUNKLEE was born in Uppsala, Sweden, to a Scottish father and a Swedish mother. She is the award-winning author of many books, including New York Times Notable Children’s Book My Name Is Elizabeth!, Me, Too! and Me, Me, Me. When she’s not writing, she’s busy eating cheese. She currently resides in Toronto, Ontario with her husband, two teens, a puppy and a cockatiel.

CATHON left Québec City in 2010 to study visual arts and media at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Since then, she has devoted herself to comics and illustration. Cathon now publishes picture books and comics with Pow Pow, La Pastèque, Comme des géants, Bayard, and Courte Échelle. She lives in Montreal, Quebec.

Editorial Reviews

"Toddlers and preschoolers will all empathize and understand the love between a kid and his or her favorite toy. Cartoony illustrations are bold and bright and will get kids’ attention."

Mom Read It

03/01/2018
PreS-Gr 1—Chuck and his mother visit a yard sale and to the preschooler's delight, there is a fire truck for sale for a buck. Chuck and his new toy quickly become inseparable and even talk to each other in their language of "Wee-ou-wee-ou-wee ou." After a muddy adventure, Chuck's mom takes the vehicle into another room for a cleaning and Chuck thinks it is time to play hide-and-seek. Chuck frantically searches the house and worries that it may have been "sucked up" by the vacuum. His mother saves the day by returning a clean fire truck to Chuck just in time for bed. Rhyming text that repeats words with a "-uck" ending are a constant throughout, creating a nice flow to the text. This a good choice for beginning readers who will appreciate the repetition and recognize some of the sight words. The cartoon illustrations are colorful and vibrant and allow viewers to experience Chuck's varying emotions. VERDICT Recommended for general purchase for picture book collections, storytime favorites, and beginning readers.—Kristen Todd-Wurm, Middle Country Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

2018-01-22
The world's most beloved emergency vehicle…and the child who loves it. When Chuck's mom buys the toy fire engine at a garage sale, the child is elated. The narration exults, "What luck! A fire truck and for only one buck." Truck and Chuck are inseparable after that, playing in the dirt, and mud, and the "muck." Chuck's mom gives the toy a quick bath without her child's knowledge, leading the tot to indulge in some mild paranoia (a vacuum cleaner begins to look like a likely suspect in the disappearance) until the truck is returned and all is well and right with the world. Hand-drawn ink lines and Photoshopped colors give Chuck and mom (both light-skinned) a cartoonish vibe. Yet although the art may seem simple, there's a running gag involving the mom's new lamp with its fishy shade and the local felines that see it as a tasty treat. The book's low word count and simple language are sure to earn it accolades from parents and kids searching for fun, easy books. Extra points should also be awarded for including such uncommon rhymes to "fire truck" as "mukluk," "woodchuck," and "dumbstruck."Certain to be a favorite among those young readers who've got a hankering for something red and shiny. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews

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