I Am a Backhoe

by Anna Grossnickle Hines

“Bend, hook, lift. Swoooooshhhh. Swing. Drop. I am . . . a crane truck.”... read more

“Bend, hook, lift. Swoooooshhhh. Swing. Drop. I am . . . a crane truck.” A young boy playfully imagines himself as a variety of trucks as he copies their motions with his toys. Every new turn of the page introduces another truck, including a backhoe, bulldozer, crane truck, dump truck, and roller, while colorful digital illustrations display the parallels between the boy and the actual truck. Through the use of repetition and descriptive language, Anna Grossnickle Hines invitingly appeals to a child’s natural liveliness and urge to imitate. A final flatbed truck is created with the help of the boy’s daddy, and later, after backing into the “garage,” or couch, they settle in to read a book together—about the timeless topic of trucks. Highly Commended, 2011 Charlotte Zolotow Award (Ages 2–5)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2011

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