Monkey Truck! for little kids with zoom (ages 2 - 5)

When we were little, my brother had a special pair of shoes with "go faster stripes" - he was absolutely sure that he could run faster with his black and yellow striped shoes. Because, as you know, nothing beats running and racing, zooming from here to there. If you have a little kid who loves racing, have fun with Monkey Truck, by Michael Slack.

Monkey Truck
by Michael Slack
New York: Henry Holt, 2011
ages 2 - 5
available on Amazon and at your local library

"Who's the little fella that the jungle calls king? A four-wheeled Banana-eating monkey machine." Monkey Truck is on a mission. There are chameleons to rescue, snakes to untangle and hippos to pull free. It will take a monkey truck that can race from here to there, dive under an elephant's stomping foot, and pull with super-monkey strength to help all his jungle friends.

This playful picture book is full of playful energy, zany bright illustrations, and super-hero daring deeds that will appeal to preschoolers and kindergartners. I can just see making a Monkey Truck puppet and having it race around the toy room, rescuing stuffed animals stuck in precarious situation and making all sorts of crazy sound effects. The illustrations, the energy and the joy in this book bring alive reading for those kids who can barely sit still for reading time, but who have vivid imaginations. It's a great way to hook them into the fact that books can be a ton of fun!

Michael Slack is an artist, illustrator and Monkey Truck is his debut novel as the author and illustrator. He illustrated the zany, hilarious My Life as a Chicken, by Ellen Kelley. He also has created a great e-book app for the iPad called Scruffy Kitty, perfect for ages 4 - 7. I'm definitely looking forward to more creative zaniness from him.

For other reviews, check out BoingBoing and Jen Robinson's Book Page. The review copy was kindly sent by the author. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this page, a small portion will go to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you). Thank you for your support!

Review ©2011 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books.