Parents' Guide to Construction Site: Garbage Crew to the Rescue!

Garbage Crew to the Rescue! book cover: Yellow Excavator scoops trash bags to hand off to blue Front Loader; houses in back

Common Sense Media Review

Regan McMahon By Regan McMahon , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 3+

Trucks spiff up a neighborhood in fun teamwork tale.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 3+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

A run-down street gets a beauty makeover in CONSTRUCTION SITE: GARBAGE CREW TO THE RESCUE! The construction trucks aim to repair and refresh the abandoned houses, but first they need to clear out all the trash that's built up due to neglect. In comes the Garbage Crew -- all sorts of clean-up trucks, from Front Loaders that lift big metal dumpsters, to trucks that remove recycling and compost. By the end of the day the job gets done and the construction trucks express their gratitude: "Thank you so much, Garbage Crew! We're so grateful you came through."

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

This deep dive into different kinds of garbage trucks shows how a neglected street can be made beautiful again with hard work and teamwork. Construction Site: Garbage Crew to the Rescue! makes hard, messy, smelly work look fun: "Rear Loaders drive up alongside/ with hungry hoppers opened wide./ They're grabbing cans and dumping, too. / 'This is what we love to do!'" And it shows how much can be accomplished when working together for a common goal.

After the story's end, author Sherri Duskey Rinker notes that she and her husband spent 10 years renovating their old house in Chicago by hand. "We set out to honor the strength and dignity of that house, but we ended up part of something even bigger—a community full of old beauty and new life."

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the different kinds of garbage trucks in Construction Site: Garbage Crew to the Rescue! Do any look like garbage trucks you've seen on your street or around town? How fun would it be to be a garbage worker?

  • What kind of teamwork do the construction trucks do with the garbage trucks? How do they help each other? Have you ever teamed up with others to complete a big project? What went on?

  • Which truck in the book is your favorite? Why?

Book Details

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Garbage Crew to the Rescue! book cover: Yellow Excavator scoops trash bags to hand off to blue Front Loader; houses in back

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