Books: Country vs. City

When I saw the title and picture on this next huge reading success, I knew we'd all related.

The Old Blue Pickup Truck by Candice F. Ransom was a major success. My boys smiled and beamed the whole time. I'm giving it four stars. Out of our huge pile of book picks this week from the library, it is the one they keep grabbing again when it is reading time. My little boys loved riding in their dad's green truck and now their grandpa's blue one.

Plus, this writer took the time to play with words and create simple, beautiful images for children. Here is an example:

"It was raining on all our things. Our whole day was getting wet!" Simple, but I love it.

Now, for a setting that my sons really shouldn't relate to we checked out the book Clang! Clang! Beep! Beep! Listen to the City by Robert Burleigh and illustrated by Beppe Giacobbe.




The onomatopoeia in this book was complimented so well by the images. Good job Beppe! Good job Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.

My four-year-old is a bit beyond the simplicity of this book, but we made it interactive and so it was a good pick. My three-year-old loved it.

This would also be a great book to help a teacher demonstrate the power of onomatopoeia in a literary elements unit/lesson plan.

However, I think it was the images that made this a strong read. The life and noise of the city was well captured and even though we live on a farm, my boys were engaged by the city and understood its excitement. (We do drive through Portland on occasion. However, this city seemed a bit more like New York.)