Sunday, March 24, 2019

Review - When Daddy's Truck Picks Me Up

When Daddy's Truck Picks Me Up
by Jana Novotny Hunter
illustrated by Carol Thompson
Date: 2004
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Daddy drives a big red tanker truck, and he's away on the road a lot. But once in a while, he's near enough to pick up his little boy from preschool. And today is one of those very special days!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Hmm... The premise of this book is cute, but the whole execution didn't really excite me.

Basically, this is a rhyming story about a little boy excitedly waiting for his truck-driver father to pick him up from school. It's easy to see the love the kid has for his dad, and his anticipation of his father picking him up in the big red tanker truck is palpable. Still, it's kind of a small premise to hang a whole book on, as we basically just witness the kid waiting all day.

The illustrations don't really excite me here. They're rough and scribbly, and while they're colourful, I just didn't feel all that drawn to them. As for the rhyming text, it's very clunky. The meter is off, and the words aren't that exciting.

This might find a better audience in kids whose parents travel a lot for work. I'm not sure if it will have that much appeal to anyone else.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: 2/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.43 out of 5

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