cover image Little Blue Truck Leads the Way

Little Blue Truck Leads the Way

Alice Schertle, , illus. by Jill McElmurry. . Harcourt, $16 (40pp) ISBN 978-0-15-206389-4

This sequel to Little Blue Truck brings the rustic pickup truck to a busy cityscape where Little Blue is dwarfed by towering yet cozy buildings and jostled by the frantic pace of traffic (“Swish! Swash! Swoosh! went a big street sweeper, hollering 'Hey! Better move, little beeper!' ”). But Blue's diplomacy keeps things running smoothly: “You might be fast and I might be slow, but one at a time is the way to go.” It's in the fusion of the old-fashioned with the modern-eclectic—one man in the crowd listens to an iPod—that the book's artistry shines. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)