Buster the Little Garbage Truck

by Marcia Berneger, Kevin Zimmer (Illustrator)

Overview

Buster is a sweet little garbage truck. He can't wait to grow up to be a big truck, just like his father. Buster practices driving and lifting and beeping with his friend, Kitty. There's one small problem. Loud noises frighten Buster. When his father takes him to the truck yard to meet the other vehicles, their air-horn blasts and roaring engines send Buster skidding away to hide. He wants to be big and brave, but how can he work with Daddy and his friends when their loud sounds scare him? Buster feels terrible. When Kitty gets into trouble, little Buster musters up his courage to save her.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781585368945
Publisher:	Sleeping Bear Press
Publication date:	04/01/2015
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	502,037
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

Editorial Reviews

2015-02-03
Buster's got a big problem: He's not big enough.Little Buster is looking forward to growing up and working with Daddy. He practices going fast in the garage with his kitty. He practices lifting paper cups and soup cans (mostly empty) over his head. He tries to honk loud, but it's just a tiny beep. When his father shows him how it should be done, the blare scares Buster so much that he hides behind his mother. He's also scared by his father's co-workers when Daddy takes him to the truck yard. Buster's concerned parents tell him to keep practicing…but practice can be scary too. Will Buster ever be able to work with his Daddy? He's not sure he'll get over his fear of loud noises—until the day he sees his kitten in danger. Buster must honk very loud to save her, and suddenly all is well. Berneger's picture-book debut is wordy and predictable. Children may identify with Buster's fears, but they will not care to listen to the stilted text. Zimmer's digitally created illustrations feature trash trucks of all kinds with big eyes, a kitten and not much else. He does skillfully convey the trucks' emotions with "body" positions, bumper mouths and those huge eyes, but at one point the visual sequence of events does not seem to match the text, creating potential confusion in listeners. Bibliotherapy for timid children obsessed with vehicles. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews