Review - The Book of Cars and Trucks

The Book of Cars and Trucks (Clever Cogz)
by Neil Clark
Date: 2019
Publisher: QEB Publishing
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book non-fiction
Pages: 27
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Join Cogz the Robot Dog and discover all about how cars, trucks and other big vehicles work, in this bright and fun STEM title. Cogz and his mice sidekicks, Nutty and Bolt, guide the reader through the workings of a car, looking closely at all the different parts. Covering key STEM themes of engineering, physics and inventions, and with a fun quiz to test young readers' knowledge, this book will get kids engaged and hands-on with learning.

Perfect for vehicle-mad pre-schoolers, the Clever Cogz series lets young readers discover different vehicles, from space rockets to racing cars. Bite-sized text and colorful, informative illustrations introduce the transport topics in a simple, engaging way for young readers with a passion for machines.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This little book about vehicles needs a little more tidying before it's ready for a North American audience. There are too many UK terms still included, which are likely to be confusing to young readers: number plate (license plate), trainers (sneakers), exhaust (tailpipe), waste fumes (exhaust), driving seat (driver's seat), spare wheel (spare tire), and tipper (bed). There are also mentions of a three-wheeled car (which a North American child is likely never to have seen, unless they've watched Mr. Bean), and the sound a fire engine makes is totally European: "Nee-naw, nee-naw!"

At the end of the book, there are questions to answer along a little flowchart. For some reason, however, the questions are numbered 1, 2, 4, 3, 5. (The graphic showing how an engine works is likewise a bit confusing with the numbered steps.)

This is a very basic look at cars and trucks. While I appreciate that electric cars are mentioned, I am a bit disappointed that they aren't delved into a little more. I see more and more of them on the road all the time, and it would've been interesting to know more about them (or even about hybrids). I'm afraid that this book is going to seem dated within a few years, the way things are going.

Overall, I'm not that impressed by this. As I said, the text needs a bit more work before it'll be suitable for North American audiences. At least they managed to fix the references to boots, bonnets, and petrol, though...

Thank you to NetGalley and QEB Publishing for providing a digital ARC.

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

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.17 out of 5