Truck Stuck
Sallie Wolf, author
Sallie Wolf is a full-time writer and artist. She fills her journal with story ideas, some of which she turns into books like Peter's Truck and Truck Stuck.
Sallie received a BA degree from Brown University in Anthropology and Archaeology and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Read more about Sally.
Andy Robert Davies, illustrator
Andy Robert Davies is a professional UK based Illustrator working for clients around the world. His artwork has been used in an editorial context by the Independent on Sunday and Guardian newspapers, in viral marketing campaigns for Vodafone, and for several successful book titles. His first children's book Truck Stuck has won a number of awards and plaudits from respected sources in the USA and has recently been published in Korea.
Read more about Andy.
- Earlychildhood NEWS Directors' Choice Award
- A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
- CCBC Choices
The Horn Book Magazine
Sometimes an accident spells good luck. For the unnamed boy and girl running a lemonade stand in front of their house, a truck stuck under a nearby overpass is just such an event. Part rhyming book for new readers (though the word viaduct on the second page might be a struggle) and part humorous drama as the traffic jam builds and builds, this appealing story highlights the entrepreneurial spirit of the young protagonists. They go where the business is, whether it is delivering lemonade to the traffic cops or encouraging a stranded clown to attract customers with his balloons concession. Eventually, thanks to the girl's ingenuity, the truck is unstuck and the children celebrate with their new friends. Clipped sentences, all rhymes and phrases, tell this story of cars and trucks and things that won't go. "Let us through—we're stuck, too! Jobs to do. Recycling truck, excavator, limousine, exterminator. All stuck. Move that truck!" Stylized cartoon illustrations add to the humor. Skin tones are either ghostly white or dark brown, much the way children draw when faced with a small box of crayons. A stretch limo languishes behind an exterminator truck sporting a giant dead bee, and an Elvis lookalike sits behind the wheel of a pink convertible. Kids who are crazy about vehicles will love this one: it's easy to read and a whole lot of fun. Good luck, big truck!
Booklist
In a suburban community a young boy and girl set up a lemonade stand in their front yard. When a big, red rig gets stuck under a train trestle nearby, business improves. A variety of child-pleasing vehicles line up behind the stuck truck, and all sorts of people (a clown, Boy Scouts, an Elvis impersonator, etc.) emerge and purchase lemonade from the two entrepreneurs. Brightly colored, naive-style pen-and-ink illustrations with some digital elements perfectly complement the simple, rhyming text (the tone having been set by the title). When two tow trucks fail to release the truck, the little girl suggests a wonderful solution. Children will appreciate the fact that a child is the hero here, and they'll probably figure out the solution for themselves, long before it's given in the story. Just right for children who have graduated from Byron Barton's books.
School Library Journal
A red 18-wheeler gets stuck under a viaduct and causes a huge traffic jam. Nearby, two children who have a lemonade stand observe the incident and try to keep everyone cool by selling their wares. The police arrive and so does a tow truck, but it is too small. The traffic jam gets worse and tempers flare. The hubbub attracts news crews who interview the truck driver, and a clown hands out balloons. Eventually, a huge tow truck arrives and, after the air has been let out of the semi's tires, the road is cleared for traffic to resume just in time, because the children are out of lemonade. The bright, flat, cartoon art brings the minimal rhyming text to life and really tells the story. "Traffic cops. Whistles blow." The illustration shows the children pouring lemonade, car horns blowing, a driver losing his temper, a dog barking, police directing traffic, and a tow truck backing up. This is an excellent choice to share with youngsters, who can observe the action and name all the objects and the activities. It can also be "picture read," giving children practice in their narrative skills.
Kirkus Reviews
Oh, no! The viaduct is too low. The big red truck gets stuck, and in no time there's a sticky traffic jam, with rubbernecking and horns honking and a virtual parade of colorful vehicles (followed a bit later by an actual parade of Boy Scouts carrying balloons). A comedy of errors ensues until a handful of helmeted traffic cops supervise the freeing of the big red truck. Wolf's rhyming text is simple but snappy, and minimal enough to be mastered by very young readers or even younger listeners. And Davies's quirky pen-and-ink illustrations should yield abundant laughter. Each vehicle (neatly identified) is a story in itself, from the long pink limousine to the exterminator's truck with the bobbing bee on top to the leaky cement mixer. A delirious age-appropriate romp.
CCBC Choices
Sitting in a traffic jam is not good for tempers, but can it be good for business? Two kids find a profitable way to cool down drivers when they set up a lemonade stand on a busy road. All sorts of vehicles cruise past until a big truck gets stuck under a viaduct. The ensuing bottleneck creates a cloud of swirling exhaust and a cacophony of honking horns. "Let us through—we're stuck too! Jobs to do. Recycling truck, excavator, limousine, exterminator. All stuck. Move that truck!" Bumper to bumper, the impatient drivers aren't going anywhere soon, but their sour attitudes are sweetened when they head to the lemonade stand to quench their thirst and converse about the gridlock. With police on the scene and a TV crew too, tension grows as tow trucks are unable to get the big truck unstuck. Short, rhythmic sentences narrate the drama, and the digitally manipulated pen and ink drawings provide cheery, colorful visual clues to the storyline. In the end, a clever solution provided by the kids lets a lot of hot air out of the situation and gives new meaning to the phrase "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade."
Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-58089-257-5
E-book PDF
ISBN: 978-1-60734-015-7
Ages: 2-5
Page count: 32
10 x 7