[close] Dumpy's back! The beloved little truck, saved from rust and weeds in Dumpy the Dump Truck, the first team effort of Julie Andrews Edwards, Emma Walton Hamilton, and Tony Walton, is shined up and ready to tackle his first big job off the farm. And it just so happens that today is a big day for his young friend Charlie, too. It's Charlie's first day of school. Dumpy has bubbles in his radiator, and Charlie feels his stomach flutter as they each think about what lies ahead. Will they succeed? Will people make fun of them? As it turns out, both Dumpy and Charlie do quite well. Charlie makes some new friends, trades sandwiches at lunchtime, and wins the respect of all when the kids realize it's his dump truck that's building the new playground. And Dumpy, after feeling a bit puny and insignificant next to the huge yellow and black monster machine, saves the day when Steady Gus the School Bus breaks down.

Julie Andrews Edwards is the author of the The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles and Little Bo: The Story of Bonnie Boadicea and, of course, the star of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. Dumpy at School, the second in the series about a little engine that could, will be welcomed with open arms by children who have a touch of first-day butterflies. (Ages 4 to 7) --Emilie Coulter [close]