Transportation

Cars and Trucks and Things That Go (Giant Little Golden Book)

Although this book was around when many of today's parents were youngsters, it has remained a steadfast must-have in every toddler's library. For starters, it's a great vocabulary guide that names the many things that go (and some that haven't a prayer of going, but are great fun to imagine anyway). It's also teeming with detail-rich scenes and characters on every page, teaching children the rewards of looking long and closely (such as finding the hidden "Goldbug" in each spread). Along the way it entertains with the silly and slapstick--everything from toothpaste and toothbrush cars to six fire department vehicles that show up to extinguish a ladybug-size fire in a miniature pink convertible. What's most amazing about this book, however, is its longevity. When you purchase it for your fledgling talker, you should consider it an investment. Even 11-, 12-, and 13-year-olds are known to pore over the book nostalgically, cooing at Lowly Worm and eagerly tracking Officer Flossie's book-long chase after that irresponsible, speedster driver in a cowboy hat. (Ages 2 and older) --Gail Hudson

The Pig family takes a road trip to the beach for a picnic. The road is packed with hundreds of cars and trucks, vans and motorcycles, tractors and buses. The Pigs find chaos and adventure on the way to the beach and the opportunity to see vehicles they have never seen before. It's an exciting day!

Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks from A to Z (A Chunky Book(R))

Illustrated in full color. This car-and- truck-filled alphabet extravaganza that starts with an ambulance and ends with a zippercar, is shaped like Lowly Worm's applemobile.  

The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!

A Smidgeon of Pigeon by Mo Willems In Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, the pigeon dreamed of driving the bus. In this board book, readers will see him emoting at the thought of driving a plane, a train, a car, and more, all in his deliriously over-the-top style.

Go, Dog. Go! (Beginner Books)

Life lessons? Romance? Literary instruction? Go, Dog. Go! offers all this and more, wrapped up in one simply worded, warmly hued package. Using single-syllable words in rhythmic repetition, and introducing colors and prepositions, this Seuss-styled classic has been an early favorite of children since 1961. For those looking for deeper meaning in a beginning reader book, here you'll find nothing less than a microcosm of life. Green dogs, yellow dogs, big dogs, little dogs. Dogs who prefer cars, dogs who favor skis. All represent the diversity a child will find in the world. And the slow-to-bud romance between the cheerfully oblivious yellow dog and the mincing pink poodle explains more succinctly than most self-help books what goes on in many grown-up relationships. Nonetheless, Eastman takes the concept of "primary" to heart, with his simple silly phrases and solidly colored illustrations. Not only will this book inspire peals of laughter in kids, it will also help them make the magical connection between those mysterious black squiggles on the page, and the words they hear and speak. (Ages 4 to 8)

Illus. in full color. Many kinds of dogs in a variety of fun-filled activities.

Richard Scarry's A Day at the Airport (Pictureback(R))

Sally, Huckle, and Lowly are supposed to go sailing with Huckle and Sally's father, but it starts to rain. Father says they will have to stay inside and play, but their friend Rudolf von Flugel saves the day when he picks the kids up in his airplane-car and whisks them off to the airport for a fun day of sightseeing. Full of airport fun and "Scarry" mishaps.

Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo

Kids love trains, and Kevin Lewis and illustrator Daniel Kirk's Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo will do nothing but encourage the obsession. "Sun's up! / Morning's here. / Up and at 'em, / engineer," cheerfully begins this rhyming picture book. As the simple large-lettered text chugs along, Daniel Kirk brings a child's playroom and train set to life with bold, bright illustrations reminiscent of his work in Bigger. In the course of the book, the toys bustle about to make sure the steam engine is loaded up with freight and finds its way (through the country, 'round the mountains, into tunnels, and across the river) to its destination--the city. There the "sleepy-sleepy choo-choo" rests, right next to a tired little boy, until the next day's work begins: "To the roundhouse / you are bound. / Good night, engine, / safe and sound." (Baby to preschool)

Kids love trains, and Kevin Lewis and illustrator Daniel Kirk's Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo will do nothing but encourage the obsession. "Sun's up! / Morning's here. / Up and at 'em, / engineer," cheerfully begins this rhyming picture book. As the simple large-lettered text chugs along, Daniel Kirk brings a child's playroom and train set to life with bold, bright illustrations reminiscent of his work in Bigger. In the course of the book, the toys bustle about to make sure the steam engine is loaded up with freight and finds its way (through the country, 'round the mountains, into tunnels, and across the river) to its destination--the city. There the "sleepy-sleepy choo-choo" rests, right next to a tired little boy, until the next day's work begins: "To theroundhouse/ you are bound. / Good night, engine, / safe and sound." (Baby to preschool)

My Big Truck Book (My Big Board Books)

I Stink!

"I stink!" How can you not love such swagger and candor? And Kate and Jim McMullan's big-eyed, loudmouthed garbage truck really must stink--by its own admission, and given all those smelly bags it's been cramming into its huge back hopper.

Most kids already love garbage trucks on general principle, and one assumes that can only go double for a sass-mouthed, animated dumper like this one, out on its early-morning rounds: "See those bags? I SMELL BREAKFAST! Crew? Get me to the curb! Lights? Blink! Brakes? Squeal! Tail gate? SAY AH!" The many opportunities for loud, large-type sound effects should make for spirited readings, and a recipe for "alphabet soup" lets young readers practice their letters, working through the ABCs from apple cores to zipped-up ziti with zucchini.

The text to I Stink!, while fun, is nowhere near as clever as the art. But fortunately Jim McMullan's fun, fat drawings and type treatments more than make up the difference, loading Dumpsters full of personality into this grimacing, grinning, growling--even burping!--big rig. Kids will have a good time doing diesel-powered imitations, but even more importantly, they'll learn where they'd be without their neighborhood trash truck: on top of "Mount Trash-o-rama, baby." (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

Know what I do at night while you're asleep?

Eat your trash, that's what!

With ten wide tires, one really big appetite, and an even bigger smell, this truck's got it all. His job? Eating your garbage and loving every stinky second of it!

And you thought nighttime was just for sleeping.

The Wheels on the Bus

"The wheels on the bus go round and round.... All over town." This traditional song, a favorite of children everywhere, is adapted and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, winner of the Caldecott Medal for his lush version of Rapunzel, and Caldecott honors for Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, and Swamp Angel. Fantastic paper engineering with movable parts, flaps, and wheels that spin makes this an interactive book that young readers will love to pieces (maybe literally!). Pull one tab to make the "wipers on the bus go swish swish swish," and another to see the "babies on the bus cry Waah! Waah! Waah!" On closer inspection, children will be tickled to discover several subtle and humorous subplots, as well as a full-circle finale: the last stop on the bus is at the Overtown public library, where the day's program includes a folk singer. Guess what he's singing!

Zelinsky's warm, inviting illustrations are a perfect match for this classic play rhyme. Children who have learned the hand motions to the song will enjoy helping the characters in the book enact their own roles. The back cover includes the musical notation for "The Wheels on the Bus," so everyone can sing along. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

When The Wheels on the Bus, by Caldecott Medalist Paul O. Zelinsky, broke onto the scene twelve years ago, it created a sensation with its clever characters, sly subplots, luscious colors, and the incomparable flair of its moving parts. Almost a million young readers have enjoyed the wheels that go round, doors that open and shut, and people who go bumpety-bump. Today it remains as fresh and engaging as when it was first published.

My Truck is Stuck!

Rotten luck. Can't go! My truck is stuck. Tug and tow. Two engines roar. But the truck won't go. Not one inch more. Does anyone know how to make my stuck truck go? In this lyrical read-aloud, young truck drivers are introduced to the ins and outs of hauling, beeping, and repairing-get ready for a fun ride! Kevin Lewis dreamed of driving trucks, trains, and tractors when he was a little boy. As an adult he decided to write about them instead and vroomed onto the scene with Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo and The Lot at the End of My Block. Daniel Kirk is the author and illustrator of several books for children, including his own Go!, Snow Family, and Hush, Little Alien.