Review - Old MacDonald Had a Truck

Old MacDonald Had a Truck
by Steve Goetz
illustrated by Eda Kaban
Date: 2016
Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O. And on that farm he had a...TRUCK?! With a DIG DIG here and a SCOOP SCOOP there, this classic folk song just got revved up! Beloved machines—the excavator, dump truck, bulldozer, and more—will have the vehicle-obsessed of all ages reading and singing along.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

When I was little, I had a couple of friends with a little brother who was absolutely obsessed with trucks. You never saw him without one of his Tonka trucks. Every time I read a book in this vein, I think of that little kid and wonder if he would've liked it!

I kind of like this one myself. It takes the classic song and mixes it up a little. Old MacDonald still has all his animals... but they're helping run the heavy machinery to build a course for his wife's monster truck. (When they broke out the motor grader, I wondered what they could possibly be building!)

The pictures are really cute, done in a retro style by Eda Kaban (illustrator of Pink Is for Boys). Watching the animals engage in all the tasks with the heavy machinery is pretty amusing. And I like the way the E-I-E-I-Os are incorporated into the illustrations.

Overall, this is a strong picture book that'll probably appeal to kids who are really into trucks and machines, as well as those who enjoy a twist on the classic song. For kids who are really into this stuff, I'd recommend this book along with Anna Dewdney's Little Excavator. They're both great fun on the construction site!

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.86 out of 5