Title: Love is a Truck
Author: Amy Novesky
Illustrator: Sara Gillingham
Age Group: 0-4
Synopsis: Follow a day of trucks and the love that surrounds them.

The Low Down:

I wish I had documented how many truck activities we’ve come up with thanks to Love is a Truck but I couldn’t possibly keep track in my head. As mother to a truck-fanatic we live and breath them. We look for them on the road and a trip in the car is ranked by how many diggers, tippers, and mixers we can spot. As much as I love how this sweetly simple book is presented, Bug loves it even more. He asks for it often. But when it’s not out in the living room for easy access, he goes in search of it.

All of the text in Love is a Truck could very well be compiled into a poem with a few sweet illustrations embroidering its boundaries (poster idea Cameron Kids?). Its lines are simple and few, providing just the right amount of guidance and allowing the readers to fill in the rest of the story themselves. It rhymes sometimes and not others, keeping readers on their toes, but still encapsulating the simplistic joy of play and pretend. Every activity in the book is one we love doing ourselves or something that we did shortly after reading the story. Truck parades now wrap around our dining table. They weave in and out of chairs so often that it’s become unsurprising to find a flatbed trailer underfoot.
Sara Gillingham does an amazing job with the illustrations in this story. They are simple and accessible for young readers. Void of intricate details that can be distracting, these pages still hold fun finds that make the story exciting with each read. Gillingham cleverly uses patterns and textures to bring the trucks and characters to life. Bug looks at this book and sees himself, although he in no way resembles the main character. That’s not important though. What’s important is the love of common interests. And in that, Love is a Truck unites all truck lovers, big and small.

Story Tips:

1. Bug loves pointing out that the balls and cones are used in many of the pages. Even the ice cream page.

I need more!

If you love Love is a Truck, check out Love is a Tutu.
Amy Novesky has some great picture book biographies on strong female characters. Check them out here: http://amy-novesky.squarespace.com
Sara Gillingham has a really sweet series called “In My…” exploring barns, oceans, flowers, forests, and more. Check out that and more here: http://www.saragillingham.com/my-books/

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