Red Truck - Hardcover

Valeria Petrone has illustrated numerous picturebooks, including Luther’s Halloween (by CariMeister) and Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin (byMary Serfozo), and does editorial illustration forseveral Italian and UK magazines. She livesin Milan, Italy.

*Starred Review* One wintry day, a red tow truck’s driver receives a call that a school bus is stuck in slushy mud. He drives Red Truck up the slippery hill, past the other vehicles that can’t quite make it, to haul the school bus to the top. As the intrepid rescuer speeds up a slope, the words read, “Can Red Truck make it UP the hill? Red truck CAN! / Red Truck WILL!” Strong, flowing lines and highly simplified forms create a certain retro look in the digital artwork. Color used with restraint makes the red truck, yellow school bus, and brightly dressed children show up brilliantly against the background of whites, grays, and pale greens.  As Red Truck struggles up the hill, the perpetual smile on its bumper transforms into a grimace of concentrated effort, but it resolves into the familiar uplifted curve when the job is done. With a well-crafted text spiced with sound effects, this appealing picture book is highly recommended for reading aloud to the truck-loving crowd. Pair it with perennial favorite, The Little Engine That Could. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Carolyn Phelan