Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cute, fun rhyming tale celebrates kindness and teamwork.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
A LITTLE BLUE TRUCK zips through the countryside passing farm animals who voice friendly greetings (Baa! Moo! Oink!, etc.), and Blue gives them a nice "Beep!" in response. Then a big dump truck barrels past Blue and the animals, saying, "I haven't got time to pass the day with every duck along the way!" But then Dump gets stuck in the mud. Blue tries to help but gets stuck, too. "Beep! Beep! Beep!/ I'm stuck! I'm Stuck!" he calls. And the animals come to the rescue. "Head to head,/ and rump to rump,/ they all pushed Blue --/ who pushed the Dump." Both trucks get free, thanks to their animal friends.
Is It Any Good?
This cute tale of being kind to strangers and the power of teamwork makes a delightful read-aloud, with ample opportunity for kids to join in on the animal and truck noises. Little Blue Truck also lets kid see that sometimes little ones can make a difference and help out big folks in trouble.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about teamwork in Little Blue Truck. How does working together get the job done?
Who's your favorite animal in the story? Which one is the funniest?
Why does the big dump truck think he's so important? What does he learn about getting help from little guys? Have you ever helped someone bigger than you who was in trouble? What happened?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Jill McElmurry
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Transportation ( Cars & Trucks ) , Friendship , Animals
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : HMH Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : May 1, 2008
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 7
- Number of pages : 32
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 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