I Love Trucks by Philemon Sturges, illustrated by Shari Halpern
Eli’s favorite book genre is Books About Vehicles. He divides this love equally between non-fiction and picture books. I generally prefer the picture books. I like a little plot with my book, and the non-fiction ones are often just me pointing at a picture and saying “skid steer,” which loses its luster in the sixth hour.
In additional to having an awesome author name (Philemon!), I Love Trucks has perfect Kid Rhythm, and lovely bold pictures (Shari Halpern has also done a bunch of illustrations for Ladybug, so I think Henry and Eli find her pictures comforting and familiar…or maybe I do). The book is such a favorite that Eli has memorized it and likes to “read” it aloud. So go ahead, go get the book, and then Eli will read it to you.
Jaya LOVED this book!
This is one of Sam’s favorite books, too. He could look at the page with the “dig dig” all day long.
Another excellent book in this category (of toddler books about transportation, with bold pictures and some sort of plot) is My Car by Byron Barton.
“My Car” was the first book I ever read to Henry. I think he was 3 days old. Now he totally rejects any vehicle-related books, mostly to be cantankerous and because he knows it annoys Eli (because really, if we’re reading a truck book, Henry will still sit and listen, he just prefers books where animals talk).