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Alphabet Trucks
Everyone's heard of a tow truck. And a pickup truck. An ice-cream truck? Of course! But what about a quint truck? A lowboy truck? A knuckle-boom truck? Readers will learn about these kinds of trucks--and many more--while learning the alphabet in ALPHABET TRUCKS.
Each letter of the alphabet is accounted for in this introductory concept book for young readers. From the familiar to the unusual, Samantha Vamos writes in snappy verse to present twenty-six different kinds of trucks, explaining where they work and what they do. From a dump truck that unloads a pile of dirt containing the letter "D," to a fuel truck filling up at a tank shaped like the letter "F," Ryan O'Rourke's playful and light-hearted illustrations involve the letters in supporting roles in each scene.
Perfect for the truck lover, ALPHABET TRUCKS provides a fun and accessible way for children to learn their ABCs.
· IRA-CBC Children's Choices
· Bank Street College of Education's Best Children's Books of the Year
· Pennsylvania Center for the Book Baker's The Best Children's Books for Family Literacy
Each letter of the alphabet is accounted for in this introductory concept book for young readers. From the familiar to the unusual, Samantha Vamos writes in snappy verse to present twenty-six different kinds of trucks, explaining where they work and what they do. From a dump truck that unloads a pile of dirt containing the letter "D," to a fuel truck filling up at a tank shaped like the letter "F," Ryan O'Rourke's playful and light-hearted illustrations involve the letters in supporting roles in each scene.
Perfect for the truck lover, ALPHABET TRUCKS provides a fun and accessible way for children to learn their ABCs.
· IRA-CBC Children's Choices
· Bank Street College of Education's Best Children's Books of the Year
· Pennsylvania Center for the Book Baker's The Best Children's Books for Family Literacy
28 pages, Board Book
First published July 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Samantha R. Vamos
8 books14 followersSamantha R. Vamos is the author of "Alphabet Boats" (2018), "Alphabet Trains" (2015), "Alphabet Trucks" (2013, illustrated by Ryan O’Rourke), "The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred" (illustrated by Rafael López) – 2012 Pura Belpré Illustration Honor – its companion book, "The Piñata That The Farm Maiden Hung" (2019, illustrated by Sebastià Serra), and "Before You Were Here, Mi Amor" (2009, illustrated by Santiago Cohen). Samantha previously worked as an attorney, practicing in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, IL. Samantha was born in the Midwest, grew up on the East Coast, and lived in the Pacific Northwest before moving to the Bay Area with her husband, son, and their rescue pup. Visit Samantha online at www.samanthavamos.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
January 17, 2018
I love reading alphabet books with my littlest. He enjoys saying each letter and identifying each truck.
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February 28, 2017Title (italicize): Alphabet Trucks
Author: Samantha R. Vamos
Illustrator (if separate from author): Ryan O'Rourke
Genre: Theme(s): ABC book
Opening line/sentence (type directly from text): "Day and night, just watch and see, trucks work hard, from A to Z."
Brief Book Summary (2-3 sentences in your own words): This book entitled, "Alphabet Trucks," cleverly paints a story about different type of trucks and the functions they serve. Additionally, this book is pleasing to the ear, as every couple of lines in the book rhyme. With each turn of the page, children are eager to find out what the next possible truck could be based on the letter of the alphabet, as I was unaware of all the different types of trucks that existed.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1 (cut & paste):
Copyright 2013, Kirkus Reviews. All rights reserved.
"Another new alphabet book--and focused on trucks? Yep. So put on your hard hats and get ready to roll with these 26 hardworking trucks featured in rhyming verse. Trucks are magnets for little boys, and this convoy will both delight and introduce them to unusual ones. The alphabetic lineup has some obvious ones, like D for dump truck and P for pickup truck, but most of the vehicles will be new to fans, and many have surprising jobs. C is for cargo, G is for grapple, K is for knuckle-boom, L is for lowboy, O is for ore, Q is for quint (a truck with hose, tank, ladders and pump), V is for vacuum and X is for X-ray truck. Oils and acrylics illustrate the rhymes with graphic simplicity, incorporating multiple letters into the scenes: I is for ice cream truck, and the cones are "I" shapes. The letters are paired two to a spread across the gutter, interacting with each other: The snowplow truck and tow truck form a snowy scene. Gear up, as this is bound to be a hit. From apple truck to zipper truck, "Day and night. / just watch and see. / Trucks work hard / from A to Z." Vroom, vroom! (Picture book. 3-6)"
Professional Recommendation/Review #2 (cut & paste):
Jill Walton (Children's Literature)
"How does an engine sound? Anybody knows that! A convoy of trucks on the cover of a picture book and preschoolers go together. This alphabet book names and defines a different type of truck for each letter of the alphabet. Many of the trucks have names that are not familiar or traditional but they are used for work we all recognize. Strong colors and stylized drawings of children, landscapes and vehicles are appealing. Some of the trucks have drivers and some of the drivers are out of their trucks. Sometimes no people are visible at all. The letter D tumbles out of the dump truck and the upper and lower case of that letter becomes part of the job that particular truck performs. Rhyming ties one letter of the alphabet to the next letter. Many of the pictures invite a child to locate how many times a letter appears on a page. A follow-up after reading this book might be to ask children what kinds of trucks they can name that are not on these pages or trucks that might have a different name for the same job. 2013, Charlesbridge,, $14.95. Ages 3 to 6.
(PUBLISHER: Charlesbridge (Watertown MA:), PUBLISHED: [2016])"
Response to Two Professional Reviews (3-4 sentences in your own words):
This first professional review is very unique because in the first line is goes into the obvious repetition about alphabet books and alphabet books regarding trucks. However after stating the familiarity, this review goes into the uniqueness of the different kinds of trucks that most people would be previously unaware about. As for the second professional review, it focuses more on the meaning conveyed throughout the illustrations of the book. This review ties the necessity of the pictures, which convey direct meaning alongside the rhyming couplets on each page.
Evaluation of Literary Elements (3-4 sentences in your own words):
This book is simplistic enough for a young toddler or preschooler to follow, but it is the pictures that draw the reader in. Each page tells a new story about a different type of truck that begins with a certain letter of the alphabet. Besides the books being aesthetically pleasing with the clever illustrations, this book has a great rhyming scheme with each turn of the page.
Consideration of Instructional Application (3-4 sentences in your own words):
This book is probably most applicable in an infant and toddler classroom or a preschool classroom. In terms of instructional application, students could sing along with the alphabet song with each page and/or give their own examples of words that start with the letter on each page besides trucks that start with that letter.
Author: Samantha R. Vamos
Illustrator (if separate from author): Ryan O'Rourke
Genre: Theme(s): ABC book
Opening line/sentence (type directly from text): "Day and night, just watch and see, trucks work hard, from A to Z."
Brief Book Summary (2-3 sentences in your own words): This book entitled, "Alphabet Trucks," cleverly paints a story about different type of trucks and the functions they serve. Additionally, this book is pleasing to the ear, as every couple of lines in the book rhyme. With each turn of the page, children are eager to find out what the next possible truck could be based on the letter of the alphabet, as I was unaware of all the different types of trucks that existed.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1 (cut & paste):
Copyright 2013, Kirkus Reviews. All rights reserved.
"Another new alphabet book--and focused on trucks? Yep. So put on your hard hats and get ready to roll with these 26 hardworking trucks featured in rhyming verse. Trucks are magnets for little boys, and this convoy will both delight and introduce them to unusual ones. The alphabetic lineup has some obvious ones, like D for dump truck and P for pickup truck, but most of the vehicles will be new to fans, and many have surprising jobs. C is for cargo, G is for grapple, K is for knuckle-boom, L is for lowboy, O is for ore, Q is for quint (a truck with hose, tank, ladders and pump), V is for vacuum and X is for X-ray truck. Oils and acrylics illustrate the rhymes with graphic simplicity, incorporating multiple letters into the scenes: I is for ice cream truck, and the cones are "I" shapes. The letters are paired two to a spread across the gutter, interacting with each other: The snowplow truck and tow truck form a snowy scene. Gear up, as this is bound to be a hit. From apple truck to zipper truck, "Day and night. / just watch and see. / Trucks work hard / from A to Z." Vroom, vroom! (Picture book. 3-6)"
Professional Recommendation/Review #2 (cut & paste):
Jill Walton (Children's Literature)
"How does an engine sound? Anybody knows that! A convoy of trucks on the cover of a picture book and preschoolers go together. This alphabet book names and defines a different type of truck for each letter of the alphabet. Many of the trucks have names that are not familiar or traditional but they are used for work we all recognize. Strong colors and stylized drawings of children, landscapes and vehicles are appealing. Some of the trucks have drivers and some of the drivers are out of their trucks. Sometimes no people are visible at all. The letter D tumbles out of the dump truck and the upper and lower case of that letter becomes part of the job that particular truck performs. Rhyming ties one letter of the alphabet to the next letter. Many of the pictures invite a child to locate how many times a letter appears on a page. A follow-up after reading this book might be to ask children what kinds of trucks they can name that are not on these pages or trucks that might have a different name for the same job. 2013, Charlesbridge,, $14.95. Ages 3 to 6.
(PUBLISHER: Charlesbridge (Watertown MA:), PUBLISHED: [2016])"
Response to Two Professional Reviews (3-4 sentences in your own words):
This first professional review is very unique because in the first line is goes into the obvious repetition about alphabet books and alphabet books regarding trucks. However after stating the familiarity, this review goes into the uniqueness of the different kinds of trucks that most people would be previously unaware about. As for the second professional review, it focuses more on the meaning conveyed throughout the illustrations of the book. This review ties the necessity of the pictures, which convey direct meaning alongside the rhyming couplets on each page.
Evaluation of Literary Elements (3-4 sentences in your own words):
This book is simplistic enough for a young toddler or preschooler to follow, but it is the pictures that draw the reader in. Each page tells a new story about a different type of truck that begins with a certain letter of the alphabet. Besides the books being aesthetically pleasing with the clever illustrations, this book has a great rhyming scheme with each turn of the page.
Consideration of Instructional Application (3-4 sentences in your own words):
This book is probably most applicable in an infant and toddler classroom or a preschool classroom. In terms of instructional application, students could sing along with the alphabet song with each page and/or give their own examples of words that start with the letter on each page besides trucks that start with that letter.
April 7, 2015
Alphabet Trucks is a book geared towards younger children that are just starting to learn how to read. On each page of the book, the author chose a letter of the alphabet, in order, and named a truck that started with the next letter in the alphabet and continued until all the letters of the alphabet were used. For example, f is for fuel truck, with a meter, pump, and hose. G is for grapple truck, and its grabby, massive claw. I also like how each page describes what the listed truck does. This lets the children fully understand what the truck is and what the tasks are that the truck does on a daily basis. My favorite would be h is for horse truck, full of water, feed, and straw, simply because I love horses. I think that this is a really good starter book for children that are just starting to learn how to read along with the alphabet. The illustrations in this book are very clear and crisp. I like the little touches that the illustrator put into the pages. For example, on every page, the illustrator has printed many letters of the letter that is being used so the children can get used to seeing the letter and memorizing what that letter looks like. I like this idea because students have to learn their alphabet and this is a good way for them to get practice. I would have this book in my classroom library for kindergarten and first graders.
July 31, 2018
The book introduces diverse types of trucks in alphabetical order. For instance, A is for an apple truck, L is for a lowboy truck, and P is for a pickup truck. Each truck has a short description with illustrations.
It was a creative idea to write a book on the topic of multiple trucks. Ice cream truck and elevator trucks were familiar to me, but a quint truck and an x-ray truck were new to me. While reading this book, I googled the trucks and watched related videos to explore more information on each truck. The most interesting one was the zipper truck which lifts barrier walls on the road. It was also interesting that this book was classified as fiction. At the end of the page, there is information on this book, and it was indicated that this book is juvenile fiction. I thought (and still think) that this book is an informational picture book because the contents deliver information based on facts. Instead of a solid storyline, the author informs young readers about different types of trucks with illustrations and characteristics of each truck. This books has new perspectives to introduce objects, in this case trucks. But the illustrations are not enough attractive to me to keep it on my book shelf. So, I rated 4 stars.
It was a creative idea to write a book on the topic of multiple trucks. Ice cream truck and elevator trucks were familiar to me, but a quint truck and an x-ray truck were new to me. While reading this book, I googled the trucks and watched related videos to explore more information on each truck. The most interesting one was the zipper truck which lifts barrier walls on the road. It was also interesting that this book was classified as fiction. At the end of the page, there is information on this book, and it was indicated that this book is juvenile fiction. I thought (and still think) that this book is an informational picture book because the contents deliver information based on facts. Instead of a solid storyline, the author informs young readers about different types of trucks with illustrations and characteristics of each truck. This books has new perspectives to introduce objects, in this case trucks. But the illustrations are not enough attractive to me to keep it on my book shelf. So, I rated 4 stars.
December 3, 2013
A line of trucks drive past a group of people and show their uses. From A to Z, there is a truck for each letter!
Why I liked this book – I really like how the cute and colorful illustrations really portray the trucks as they are but in a fun way.
The trucks have a wide variety of jobs. I like how Ms. Vamos found a truck for each letter – including Q, X, V, and Z (I had no idea what a quint truck was before I read this book!). :) I think this is a great example how an author and illustrator works together to make a wonderful picture book. I love how the letters are involved in the pictures (like how the Vacuum Truck is sucking up capital and lowercase v’s). The rhyme is also a great part of the book – it makes it even more fun to read!
*NOTE* I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Why I liked this book – I really like how the cute and colorful illustrations really portray the trucks as they are but in a fun way.
The trucks have a wide variety of jobs. I like how Ms. Vamos found a truck for each letter – including Q, X, V, and Z (I had no idea what a quint truck was before I read this book!). :) I think this is a great example how an author and illustrator works together to make a wonderful picture book. I love how the letters are involved in the pictures (like how the Vacuum Truck is sucking up capital and lowercase v’s). The rhyme is also a great part of the book – it makes it even more fun to read!
*NOTE* I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
October 19, 2018
Alphabet Trucks is a book that is written to help children learn the alphabet. The author of this book uses different types of trucks to help children learn the alphabet. For example, the author says that "N" is for a news truck and "Q" is for a quint truck that has a hose, tank, ladder, and trunk. The author uses a unique method to help children read the alphabet, however, the only problem that I found with this book is that it may just interest boys rather than everyone. I would envision this book in a preschool classroom to help young children connect the letters of the alphabet to something that they see in real life. I enjoyed the ending of this book when the author writes that trucks work hard from "A" to "Z". Overall, I thought this book was a really unique way to help children learn the alphabet and I enjoyed reading it.
August 9, 2014
Alphabet Trucks by Samantha R. Vamos is, of course, an alphabet book. Not only is a big letter of the alphabet inscribed on each truck, but more of the same letters are included in the illustration. So for example, the dump truck is dumping his load of Ds. Cones in the shape of the letter I are being sold in the ice cream truck. When I first picked up this book, I didn’t expect to learn anything new. And I wasn’t surprised, from the apple truck bringing produce to the store to the yard truck moving pallets and boxes around. Then I hit “Z”, and found out about zipper trucks that move concrete barriers on highways. I am amazed at how they work and thrilled to have learned something new—in a picture book. (from my blog at mackinbooksinbloom.com).
December 9, 2018
1. Awards: None found.
2. Appropriate grade level(s): PK-2
3. This alphabet book utilizes all 26 letters of our alphabet to name 26 different types of trucks. Some are familiar, but some many readers young and old, will likely have never heard of. The author explains what the trucks are and what they do.
4. This alphabet book is really cute and offers great illustrations. I like that this alphabet book is themed for any student who is really interested in trucks. I also like that instead of just saying "A is for Apple truck", this text offers full sentences and a bit of story that other Alphabet books might be missing.
5. 2-3 in class uses:
1. Teaching the alphabet.
2. Teaching new vocabulary.
2. Appropriate grade level(s): PK-2
3. This alphabet book utilizes all 26 letters of our alphabet to name 26 different types of trucks. Some are familiar, but some many readers young and old, will likely have never heard of. The author explains what the trucks are and what they do.
4. This alphabet book is really cute and offers great illustrations. I like that this alphabet book is themed for any student who is really interested in trucks. I also like that instead of just saying "A is for Apple truck", this text offers full sentences and a bit of story that other Alphabet books might be missing.
5. 2-3 in class uses:
1. Teaching the alphabet.
2. Teaching new vocabulary.
October 14, 2013
Although I didn't like how the trucks on the opening pages moved from right to left, from A to Z going backwards on the page, countering the typical sweep of the eye, I did like the rest of the book as it celebrates the letters of the alphabet with trucks emblazoned with huge capital letters for every letter. Truck fans will enjoy seeing dump trucks, lowboy trucks, quint trucks, even snowplow trucks, all busily going about their daily business while helping their readers learn their ABCs and introducing them to several unusual types of trucks. The oil and acrylic illustrations are filled with plenty of movement that helps readers see just how hard these trucks work.
October 5, 2013
This is one of those books that will have a hard time finding the right audience. The information about the types of trucks is comprehensive. Maybe a bit too comprehensive for the toddler/alphabet learning stage, but the 4-7 year old who could really get into this book, might deem it a bit too babyish as it is a picture book and teaches the alphabet. I am not a early childhood or elementary educator so from a education stand point I may be way off. However, from a, "can I use this in my storytime for 0-4 year olds" point of view, I found it too complicated for the kids.
October 6, 2014
Vamos, S., & Rourke, R. (2013). Alphabet trucks. Massachusetts. Charlesbridge.
IRA Children's Choices 2014
Alphabet Book
Alphabet trucks takes the reader around town to see all the trucks. It includes all the alphabet letters to describe the various trucks that a beginning reader would see. This book is a great book to use to relate to students lives and to begin teaching the alphabet. I could use this book to have a student draw their own alphabet truck with a letter of their choosing. Fabulous illustrations.
IRA Children's Choices 2014
Alphabet Book
Alphabet trucks takes the reader around town to see all the trucks. It includes all the alphabet letters to describe the various trucks that a beginning reader would see. This book is a great book to use to relate to students lives and to begin teaching the alphabet. I could use this book to have a student draw their own alphabet truck with a letter of their choosing. Fabulous illustrations.
October 20, 2014
Vagos, S. R., & O'Rourke, R. (2013). Alphabet Trucks. Watertown: Charlesbridge.
IRA Children’s Choice Award
Alphabet Book
Young students and new readers will love this alphabet book, especially those who love trucks! The pictures are fun and colorful and each letter of the alphabet is represented by a different type of truck. This book would be great for preschool and kindergarten students because it teaches letter recognition, including lower and uppercase letters. I would definitely recommend using this book in primary classrooms.
IRA Children’s Choice Award
Alphabet Book
Young students and new readers will love this alphabet book, especially those who love trucks! The pictures are fun and colorful and each letter of the alphabet is represented by a different type of truck. This book would be great for preschool and kindergarten students because it teaches letter recognition, including lower and uppercase letters. I would definitely recommend using this book in primary classrooms.
October 4, 2013
Boys will love this one and the author has done a nice job of finding a truck for every letter of the alphabet including a quint truck (a type of firetruck) for q and a zipper truck for z, a truck that picks up concrete highway barriers. While the "retro" look of the illustrations is not my favorite, I did like that the illustrator has included the specific letter in the illustration, usually as something that the truck is hauling. Lots for boys to look at here and maybe some girls.
March 12, 2019
This book is appropriate for pre-k / k age range. This book is all about the alphabet on different trucks that match up to the letter. I think this book is good for the younger ages because it is a board book, and it talks about all the vehicles children could be interested in as well as well some of the trucks do. In class this could be a good way to bring in a more different type of trucks into the classroom or this could also turn into a counting activity of how many trucks we see outside.
September 19, 2013
This is a great book about the alphabet--having a story all about different kinds of trucks makes it very accessible and interesting (especially for little boys!) I had some trouble with the meter and pacing of the book from page to page as it doesn't remain consistent throughout the book. The various types of trucks are sure to spark lots of lively conversation!
November 9, 2015
My son just turned 2 and he already knows 80% of his alphabet because of this book. That makes it a 5-star book in my eyes.
There was some confusion at first over the letter Q, "Q is for Fire Truck!", but he has since corrected that and now says, "Q is for Quint Truck" every time he sees the letter Q somewhere.
There was some confusion at first over the letter Q, "Q is for Fire Truck!", but he has since corrected that and now says, "Q is for Quint Truck" every time he sees the letter Q somewhere.
November 4, 2013
Who knew that there are indeed all different kinds of trucks for each and every letter of the alphabet?! I enjoyed the letters for each of the trucks that were included in the illustrations, younger readers would enjoy pointing these out during the reading.
October 9, 2014
I LOVE this book with the letters actively involved in the illustrations.
I also could not imagine this many names of kinds of trucks before it started, even though the "U-Haul" truck is a name brand, and maybe not quite the best match for the alphabet which seem mostly to be types of trucks.
I also could not imagine this many names of kinds of trucks before it started, even though the "U-Haul" truck is a name brand, and maybe not quite the best match for the alphabet which seem mostly to be types of trucks.
March 13, 2017
The Alphabet Truck book is good for both boys and girls for them to learn about the different types of trucks while also learning their ABCs. Boys may enjoy more because its not as girly as most kid books.
September 29, 2018
My son LOVES this book, and he goes around repeating the names of all the trucks, some of which are not easy: elevator, grapple hook, knuckle boom. He's also assigned trucks to family members. The rhymes aren't the best, but it's pretty cute overall.
December 28, 2018
A trip with various trucks following the letters of the alphabet.
Some of these are a little bit of a stretch, getting their alphabet name from what they are carrying rather than the kind of truck they are, and some of them I have never heard of before.
No content issues.
August 20, 2013
A rhyming easy reader for children who are learning their letters. Fun for little boys, little tomboys or any child enralled with different kind of trucks.
June 26, 2014
Cute. Who knew there was such a thing as a zipper truck. Interesting!
October 1, 2013
A great addition to the libraries of young children who are in the love of trucks phase.
October 30, 2013
The best alphabet truck book I've read all year! One star off because truck-obsessed little people will be all like, "That's not an ELEVATOR truck, that's a FORKLIFT."
January 6, 2014
Bright and colorful illustrations of one truck for each letter of the alphabet. The letters are also very subtly worked into each illustration. A fun, colorful book.
June 7, 2014
I loved this book. I loved the rhyming and the introduction to different types of trucks.
December 4, 2014
Very colorful
March 30, 2015
This teachs teachers how to creatively teach children the alphabet and things in their classroom.
October 6, 2015
So trucks of any kind, at nursery age, just pretty much rock! We are constantly looking for fun alphabet books to read - and this was good. It was a little lengthy, but still a learning & fun book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews