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Dumpy's Valentine
It's Valentine's Day, and poor Trusty the Mail Truck has broken down. Dumpy offers to lend a hand, and with Charlie and Pop-Up's help he delivers surprises all over town. But what about Trusty? Will he get a valentine this year? Readers will delight in Dumpy's spirited kindness in this holiday reader.
24 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
Julie Andrews Edwards
73 books1,389 followersDame Julie Elizabeth Andrews Edwards, DBE is an award-winning English actress, singer, author and cultural icon. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honours. Andrews rose to prominence after starring in Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady and Camelot, as well as musical films like Mary Poppins (1964) and The Sound of Music (1965).
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 29, 2026
It was from a biography of Julie Andrew’s by Richard Stirling that I learned that Julie Andrews wrote children's books. Perhaps the best known of these is the Dumpy the Dump Truck series, cowritten by Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton and illustrated by Julie Andrew's first husband and Emma's father Tony Walton. Tony Walton has won many awards for his set and costume designing.
The Dumpy the Dump Truck books are of two types. There are those in the I Can Read! series designed for those just starting to read and the more traditional, slightly longer picture books. It is these traditional picture books that I started my foray into the world of Dumpy the Dump Truck world with.
*Dumpy's Valentine* is the first I Can Read! book about Dumpy that I read and I was immediately charmed by the illustrations, which, admittedly, are simpler than those in the traditional picture books. But sometimes simpler is better. The first page showed Charlie and his grandfather Pop-Up riding driving along in Dumpy from the farm where they live into town. In the background are some very cute and simply drawn cows with hearts above them to signify that it is Valentine's Day.
It isn’t too long before they come across Trusty the Mail Truck broken down along side of the road. As a former letter carrier, this warmed the cockles of my heart. Trusty is well-illustrated, with the blue and red trademark colors of the U.S. Postal Service. Yes, vehicles sometimes broke down when I was carrying mail, but we had spare vehicles when this happened. So it wasn’t true to life when Dumpy takes over the mail route and delivers the mail. I don’t think the kids will notice.
The rest of the book involves Dumpy delivering valentines to various patrons and receiving gifts in return. At the end of the book they pass these gifts on to Trusty the Mail Truck who is still sitting by the side of the road broken down.
Other Dumpy books from the I Can Read! series include Dumpy to the Rescue! Dumpy's Apple Shop, and Dumpy's Extra-Busy Day. Sadly of these my local library only has *Dumpy's Apple Shop*. I’m sure I could get the others via inter library loan, but my interest does not extend that far.
The Dumpy the Dump Truck books are of two types. There are those in the I Can Read! series designed for those just starting to read and the more traditional, slightly longer picture books. It is these traditional picture books that I started my foray into the world of Dumpy the Dump Truck world with.
*Dumpy's Valentine* is the first I Can Read! book about Dumpy that I read and I was immediately charmed by the illustrations, which, admittedly, are simpler than those in the traditional picture books. But sometimes simpler is better. The first page showed Charlie and his grandfather Pop-Up riding driving along in Dumpy from the farm where they live into town. In the background are some very cute and simply drawn cows with hearts above them to signify that it is Valentine's Day.
It isn’t too long before they come across Trusty the Mail Truck broken down along side of the road. As a former letter carrier, this warmed the cockles of my heart. Trusty is well-illustrated, with the blue and red trademark colors of the U.S. Postal Service. Yes, vehicles sometimes broke down when I was carrying mail, but we had spare vehicles when this happened. So it wasn’t true to life when Dumpy takes over the mail route and delivers the mail. I don’t think the kids will notice.
The rest of the book involves Dumpy delivering valentines to various patrons and receiving gifts in return. At the end of the book they pass these gifts on to Trusty the Mail Truck who is still sitting by the side of the road broken down.
Other Dumpy books from the I Can Read! series include Dumpy to the Rescue! Dumpy's Apple Shop, and Dumpy's Extra-Busy Day. Sadly of these my local library only has *Dumpy's Apple Shop*. I’m sure I could get the others via inter library loan, but my interest does not extend that far.
February 12, 2019
Sweet story, filled with all the repetition and simple vocabulary that makes for a great early reader. This is my first Dumpy book, but I suspect it won't be the last. This was a very nice little book.
February 10, 2011
Simple, sweet story in an easy-reader format. We've never read any of the stories in the Dumpy series before and only picked this one because of the Valentine theme. But the repetitive narrative and colorful illustrations, along with the anthropomorphic vehicles combine to make a fun story for young readers. Our girls enjoyed reading this book aloud with me.
Read
February 25, 2015All by herself!
June 4, 2015
Pre-K
February 2, 2016
This is an "I can read My first Reader Book" Has basic words and repetitive phrases on each page. A dump truck helps a mail truck that has broken down to deliver Valentines on Valentine's day.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews