Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Race car and Blue become fast friends in winning story.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Blue and Toad are out for a pleasant ride in the country when a red race car with the number three painted on its doors zooms by, shouts "Hi!" and asks, "Wanna race? That's what I do! Please let me have a race with you!" As LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED start their friendly competition, Blue and Toad's familiar barnyard pals rush to follow and cheer them on. Red wins, but Blue doesn't mind. "The reason why is win or lose, it's fun to try." Then he offers the barnyard friends a ride back, and invites Red as well. "I've begun to think that slow is kind of fun," she says.
Is It Any Good?
This cute story of a spontaneous car race has a sweet message that winning isn't everything. Just trying is fun, and making a new friend is special, too. Little Blue Truck and Racer Red has enough action to please car-loving kids, and, as always in Little Blue Truck stories, there's a welcome emphasis on friendship. It's a little odd that only one of the two talking vehicles has a driver, but Racer Red has a lot of personality, with big headlight eyes like Blue and a smiling grille. Besides, Blue and Red do most of the talking.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the competition in Little Blue Truck and Racer Red. How important is winning to Blue? How important would it be to you if you ran a race with someone?
How do you like meeting a new car character in this book? Would you like to see her in more Little Blue Truck stories? What other adventures can you imagine them having?
Have you ever been in a car or bus or train when going slow was more fun than going fast? What could you see more of by going slow?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Jill McElmurry
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Transportation ( Cars & Trucks )
- Character Strengths : Communication
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Clarion
- Publication date : March 25, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 32
- Available on : Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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