A Truck Goes Rattley-Bumpa

by Jonathan London, Denis Roche (Illustrator)

Here come the mighty trucks to get the job done!

Trucks can be big or small, red or blue. Trucks can make exciting noises. Trucks can haul and dig and stop and go. There are just so many things that trucks can do. But can they help to build a house? With teamwork anything is possible! Here is the perfect picture book for preschoolers who are fascinated with trucks of all kinds.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Trucks, Transport, Childrens, Construction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

Jonathan London is the author of several celebrated children's books. His commitment to honoring the wonders of the natural world has been lauded by readers and critics alike. He is the author of more than 70 children's books, many of which are about nature. He's also the author of the popular Froggy series. He lives in Graton, California with his wife and two sons.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, so close! When I pick up a book called "A truck goes rattley-bumpa," I expect to say such a whimsical phrase at least 10 times. No repetition of the title. What could have been a fun sounding book turns into a: "This truck does this, this truck does that"

[Jacqui Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually, this is my eighteen month-old's review:

(every morning while we had the book from the library): "Bumpa! Bumpa!" (repeat. repeat. repeat...)

(the first morning after we returned the book): "Bumpa? Where go Bumpa?!" (searches book box frantically)

Me: "Honey, we returned it to the library so other babies could read it."

Him (lamenting): "Baby? Bumpa. Sigh."

(every morning since then): "Bumpa? Baby all done? Bumpa? BUMPA!"

For my part, I loved it too.

[Tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was too "young" for my 5-year-old but would be perfect for a toddler who loves trucks.

"A truck could be big.
A truck could be strong.
A truck could be short . . .
or very, very long."

Each page has an illustration to fit the descriptive word.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

My toddler loves finding the squirrel on each page.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super simple text, fantastic illustrations, but not terribly engaging. There is a sub-story told through the illustrations (a family building a new house and then moving there), but the kids who are young enough to appreciate the simple text (with no real story line) are most likely too young to get the sub-story.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing working through the books of Jonathan London and this one is basically all about trucks, describing their differences, using onomatopoeia to describe their sounds, and showing their different functions, and there is no hint of any anthropomorphism in the whole book.
For a truck loving child, this would be a book they read over and over again.

[Hannah Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very short book that shows children that there are different kinds of trucks, we use trucks to haul things. Boys are typically fascinated with vehicles. Children may have parents who drive trucks so the book could relate to them.

[Tracy Schillemore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book best for the very young. It rhymes. There are some fun words like chugga chugga and vroom.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun books that explores different kinds of trucks in rhymes.

[Davis Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 5 year old son recently checked this book out from his school library. As soon as he got home he wanted to read it. We have read the book several times since then. I have a feeling I will be purchasing this book in the future. The pages are amazingly illustrated and full of color. The story has a rhythmic flow that any kid will love. A must read for children that love trucks of all types. I will be checking out more books by this author.

Originally posted on The Mystical World of Book Reviews.

[Sophie Brookover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nell is fascinated by construction projects, since there's a huge one going on at her school right now. She liked the rhymes and the brightly colored illustrations in this book (which is a nice departure from the ubiquitous Froggy books by the same author). I don't think she quite got the narrative of the family building the house and the dad coming to join them via large moving truck, but that's okay for now. I'm sure we'll be re-reading this one in future.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book to read aloud, especially for beginning readers. The rhyme and repetition is good to build word recognition and the onomatopoeia is fun. The moving truck at the end was particularly fun for us as we imagined that it was our household goods that were being delivered to our new house.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much more to this book than just the different vehicles. We spend a lot of time talking about the building of the house and what the little boy and his parents are doing in each scene. This would be a good book for kids who are moving or interested in house building and how much work and how many people and vehicles it takes in the process.

[Meghan Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book that describes different types of trucks in very simple terms. It would be great to read to younger readers, especially to boys. It would be great to use in a storytime about transportation. The audience could participate by making the truck noises: "chugga-chugga," "vroom," and "rattley-bumpa."

[Edna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read aloud book showing different types of trucks and what they can haul and what jobs they do in the city and country. The text is short and rhymes and the illustrations are simple, bold nd brightly colored.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

My current class is obsessed with all things trucks so I got this from the library to read. I found the title very misleading. I figured it would be a story about a rickety old truck. Nope. While the kids seemed to enjoy seeing different types of trucks, I thought it could have been better.

[Kristie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shorter text that emphasizes the different sounds a truck makes.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for boys who love trucks.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank goodness! A truck book with a story line, charming illustrations, creative sound effects, and more to discover on each re-reading.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stig loves trucks. This is a picture book of a boy's imaginary trip in a big truck.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Santi frantically begs me to reread this one before we even finish it. He especially loves the ice cream truck. I'm not sure I really get it, but the boy knows what he loves.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kudos to Santi for an excellent recommendation. Sam loves this book so much I'm dreading having to return it to the library (it also successfully distracted Sam from two major meltdowns today).

[Leonard]

Fun ryhming text and colorful illustrations make for a fun ride.

[Jess Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good rhyme and rhythm in this book. Fans of trucks will want to hear it again and again, as the book goes through different trucks and all that they do. Illustrations are bold and clear, too.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like some of London's books, and this is one I really like.

[Wendy Kuzma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be good for discussing opposites and rhyming words.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kids love any story involving a truck.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brightly coloured and simple rhyming story about trucks. Well suited for toddler time.

[Maggie KutsBorg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Modestly successful with the toddler group.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for identifying the different sounds that may come from a car. Instruments could be a great activity to go along with this particular book.