Common Sense Media Review
Trucks spiff up a neighborhood in fun teamwork tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
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?
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
- Author :
- Illustrator : AG Ford
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Transportation ( Cars & Trucks )
- Character Strengths : Gratitude , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Chronicle Books
- Publication date : September 24, 2024
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 5
- Number of pages : 48
- Available on : Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate
