Puppy Truck

by Brian Pinkney, Brian Pinkney (Illustrator)

Overview

A School Library Journal Best Picture Book of 2019!

Find out what happens when a boy who wants a puppy gets a truck instead in this simple and sweet picture book from Caldecott Honor winner Brian Pinkney.

Vroom...beep...bark!

Carter wants a puppy, but he gets a truck instead. So he pets it, puts a leash around it, and takes it to the park.

But the truck won’t sit still! What will Carter do with his rascally Puppy Truck?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534426870
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	06/25/2019
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.30(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	190L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Brian Pinkney has illustrated numerous acclaimed books for children, including Martin Rising; In Your Hands; On the Ball; The Faithful Friend; Duke Ellington; and In the Time of the Drums. His many awards include two Caldecott Honors, a Coretta Scott King Illustration Award, four Coretta Scott King Illustration Honors, and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. Brian lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and frequent collaborator, Andrea Davis Pinkney. Visit him at BrianPinkney.net.

Brian Pinkney has illustrated numerous acclaimed books for children, including Martin Rising; In Your Hands; On the Ball; The Faithful Friend; Duke Ellington; and In the Time of the Drums. His many awards include two Caldecott Honors, a Coretta Scott King Illustration Award, four Coretta Scott King Illustration Honors, and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. Brian lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and frequent collaborator, Andrea Davis Pinkney. Visit him at BrianPinkney.net.

Editorial Reviews

03/11/2019

When Carter receives a red and yellow toy truck instead of the puppy he wants, he doesn’t throw a fit. Instead, “he pet it and put a leash around it,” writes Pinkey (Hip-Hop Lollipop), and magically, the truck responds just like a rambunctious pup, with bright eyes and a shiny black nose. “Vroom beep bark!” says the truck, and the two are off, running toward a wonderful day in the park, where they make a friend and romp in the sandbox; back at home, they enjoy a soapy bath in a big purple tub and a bedtime cuddle. Pinkney’s swooping, ribbonlike ink lines and splashes of bright color pop off the cream-colored pages. Detailing is minimal and evocative, with a few swift black lines conveying a gentle hill, and cloudlike green scribbles evoking the park’s foliage. Brown-skinned Carter has a lean dancer’s body, and he moves around the page with an energized grace and a look of pure contentment. There’s no huge dramatic arc or epiphany here, and no grown-up supervision or mediation—just a joyful celebration of imagination at play. Ages 5–8. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"The artwork, resembling sketches with its free-flowing figures outlined in india ink, are loosely filled in using bright, cheerful acrylics. . . . An encounter with another child who has an equally intense imagination opens the possibility of more adventures for Carter and his new best friend."

Booklist

Vibrant, saturated tones and swirling shapes, only semi-contained by thick black outlines, reflect the protagonist in motion and highlight the warmth and comfort of his (grown-up free) imaginary play. . . . The sound effects interspersed throughout the straightforward main text provide lots of opportunities to make both animal sounds and truck noises—a win-win for a large subset of preschoolers.

The Horn Book

"The artwork, resembling sketches with its free-flowing figures outlined in india ink, are loosely filled in using bright, cheerful acrylics. . . . An encounter with another child who has an equally intense imagination opens the possibility of more adventures for Carter and his new best friend."

Booklist

★ 07/01/2019

PreS–Carter wants a puppy, but when he receives a truck instead he doesn't let it stop him for a moment. He grabs a leash and with a playful, "Vroom beep bark!" they're off to the park to chase squirrels, race down hills, and play in the mud. Carter's imaginative view of the world is even shared when he makes a friend who then discovers their own ability to transform their world. Pinkney returns to an artistic style similar to On The Ball with simple, colorful, and energetic illustrations. The two young characters in this story (Carter and a girl he meets at the park) both have brown skin and curly black hair. Thick swirling lines and color move the children and Puppy Truck across the pages on their adventure. The text is placed in large, bold font and is both simple and repetitive, perfect for beginning readers. Full of onomatopoeic lines, this would be an excellent storytime read for an audience that loves trucks or puppies, or hopefully both. VERDICT A first purchase that is sure to please.—Laken Hottle, Providence Community Library

School Library Journal