Mighty Truck

Mighty Truck #1

by Chris Barton, Troy Cummings (Illustrations)

Clarence was just an ordinary truck until one fateful day when an unplanned trip through a strange truck wash changed him. Foomp, his tires pumped up, and vroom, his engine revved, and

Ka-Boom!

muddy old Clarence transformed into the mighty-fast, mighty-strong, mighty-awesome Mighty Truck! With his laser-bright headlights and turbo speed, Mighty Truck can take on any challenge.

Mighty Truck is an all-wheel-drive adventure illustrated by Troy Cummings and written by award-winning, bestselling author Chris Barton.

Genres: Picture Books, Trucks, Childrens, Transport, Storytime, Superheroes, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 5, 2016

About the author

I'm the author of picture books including bestseller SHARK VS. TRAIN, Sibert Honor-winning THE DAY-GLO BROTHERS, and WHOOSH! LONNIE JOHNSON'S SUPER-SOAKING STREAM OF INVENTIONS, which has been included on 21 state reading lists.

Other well-known titles of mine include HOW TO MAKE A BOOK (ABOUT MY DOG), FIRE TRUCK VS. DRAGON, DAZZLE SHIPS, THE AMAZING AGE OF JOHN ROY LYNCH, and WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A VOICE LIKE THAT?

My new books include MOVING FORWARD: FROM SPACE-AGE RIDES TO CIVIL RIGHTS SIT-INS WITH AIRMAN ALTON YATES (illustrated by Steffi Walthall; a School Library Journal Best Book of 2022) and GLITTER EVERYWHERE! WHERE IT CAME FROM, WHERE IT'S FOUND & WHERE IT'S GOING (illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat; June 2023).

I visit schools by the score and also love speaking to professional gatherings of librarians, educators, and fellow writers.

I'm married to middle-grade/YA novelist Jennifer Ziegler (WORSER, HOW NOT TO BE POPULAR). Jennifer and I have four adult children and one dog, and we co-host the children’s literature video series “This One’s Dedicated to…” in which we talk with other authors and illustrators about the dedications they’ve written for their books.

Jennifer and I live in Austin, where I serve as a council member of the Texas Institute of Letters, a 501(c)(3) non-profit honor society founded in 1936 to celebrate Texas literature and to recognize distinctive literary achievement.

For more information about me, please visit www.chrisbarton.info.

Reviews

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earlier this year I read the book Supertruck by Stephen Savage. I loved the heart of the story.
Here's another book that has heart, fun and a great story. Can't wait to own my own copy and share with readers!
Look for it March 2016!

[Miloš]

Reading with my kids 😁

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cross-posted from the reviewer's personal Goodreads account:

Barton, Chris Mighty Truck, illustrated by Troy Cummings PICTURE BOOK. Harper Collins, 2016. $17.99. Content: G.

Clarence the truck is always getting dirty. One day, while in the car wash, lightning strikes and Clarence becomes “Mighty Truck” helping friends, rescuing cats and saving the day. No one recognizes him because of his amazing transformation, but lightning strikes again, just in time - because Clarence prefers to be dirty and to NOT have super powers.

This is a great picturebook for the monster truck lover. Large colorful pictures, lots of things to point at, and a great story that keeps the reader guessing what will happen next. This will definitely become a favorite - so much fun!

EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE Lisa Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clarence the truck is always getting dirty. One day, while in the car wash, lightning strikes and Clarence becomes “Mighty Truck” helping friends, rescuing cats and saving the day. No one recognizes him because of his amazing transformation, but lightning strikes again, just in time - because Clarence prefers to be dirty and to NOT have super powers.

This is a great picturebook for the monster truck lover. Large colorful pictures, lots of things to point at, and a great story that keeps the reader guessing what will happen next. This will definitely become a favorite - so much fun!

Cross posted to http://kissthebook.blogspot.com CHECK IT OUT!

[Alex Furlong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the story of a car that gains superpowers. I believe for parents, it is crucial they encourage children to 'read between the lines' and find the true meaning of this story. While the plot includes the car owner not wanting him to get dirty (even though he loves it), the meaning of the story is that we should not always take pride in our accomplishments. After doing his good deeds, he does not take credit for them because he transforms back into his regular self and stays humble.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clarence was just an ordinary truck until one fateful day when an unplanned trip through a strange truck wash changed him. Foomp, his tires pumped up, and vroom, his engine revved, and

Ka-Boom!

muddy old Clarence transformed into the mighty-fast, mighty-strong, mighty-awesome Mighty Truck! With his laser-bright headlights and turbo speed, Mighty Truck can take on any challenge.

Mighty Truck is an all-wheel-drive adventure illustrated by Troy Cummings and written by award-winning, bestselling author Chris Barton.

[Chelsea DiCicco · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have a toddler who loves anything wheels, this is the book for you. I have a two and a half year old that I nanny who loves this book. And if you are a little bit geeky and into comic book style super hero stories, you just may also enjoy reading this to your little munchkin. This book is cheesy and cute and I loved it. Filled with dorky lovable puns and ridiculous action. It is a great book to read to a kid who doesn’t enjoy baths 😆

[Katie Bruff · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "Mighty Truck," there is a dirty work truck named Clarence that goes through a car wash. When the truck goes through the car wash, it ends up getting super powers. This ends up being a good thing because he saves his friends from danger with these super powers. Children enjoy these types of books because it interests them and keeps them entertained.

[Kara LeNoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book about Clarence, a truck who likes to get dirty but develops super powers in the shower, to my 16-month-old. He has never been more excited to read a book. He loved the illustrations of all the trucks and the sound effects that the trucks made sprinkled throughout the story. I enjoyed his reaction and the story itself. Definitely recommend for any little person who loves trucks!

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobody recognizes Clarence the truck when he has the mud washed off him, so he takes on the superhero identity of "Mighty Truck" and does daring deeds. I think truck fans will like this just because there's a truck in it. I think it tried to accomplish too much in one story (all of a sudden he has laser welding vision, and can fly because his wheels are super inflated...which lost me a bit).

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

December 2016 - Ben loves this one because a) monster trucks and b) superpowers. I find the text awkward to read aloud, and I anticipate the truck's disappointment when the next visit to the carwash does not yield super powers. Meh.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids loved this story and voted to give it five stars. It’s got trucks, a kind, helpful superhero, and dirt.

The hero is refreshingly “down-to-earth” and humble - he decides to do his good deeds incognito- and that’s worth discussing with the kids.

Colorful, fun artwork.

[Eliot Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet book! An electrifying car wash transforms Clarence, a dirty pickup truck, into an extraordinary, mighty, monster truck superhero who saves the day.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute illustrations - a current favorite with the kid.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A super-hero truck!

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series for the preschool and beginning reader set. Superhero vehicle - nice combination. Glad to see they didn't shy away from vocabulary like "opinion".

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

My two-year-old grandson, mad for vehicles, had broadened my reading. Nice illustrations; transformative story. I've read it five times.

[Mariah Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected to like this book more than I did. It wasn't great. I didn't care for the choice of words or the story overall. My 4 year old truck lover enjoyed Clarence and his adventures though.

[Michael Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son enjoyed this one very much. Read multiple times, fun and action packed.

[Anneke Alnatour · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kids loved it. I found it very difficult to read to them. Sentences didn't flow, and language felt very stilted.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A superhero story in which an ordinary truck saves the day all the while disguised as a super-clean mighty truck.

Clarence really likes getting dirty, but his boss encourages him to clean himself up, which secretly unlocks superhero powers. Clarence helps out in a variety of ways, but is still able to remain anonymous after he ends up just as dirty as he began the book due to all his good deed work.

A little longer than Supertruck by Savage, but very similar if looking for a read-alike. PreK-2.

[Sandra Guerfi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The little truck in this story doesn't mind getting dirty when he's having so much fun but it seems others have a different opinion. When he goes to the car wash during a thunder and lightning storm he's suddenly transformed into Mighty Truck, superhero to all. Follow his adventures as he helps save others. Interesting look at the superhero in us all.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful picture book about a truck that finds his superpowers. I had the pleasure of reading this book at my local library - the word play, rhythms, and repetition made this a natural read aloud. I also appreciated that the truck didn't look for recognition after he performed his super tasks. The illustrations add to the character of the trucks - making them distinct from each other.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any child who likes books about trucks or superheros will get a kick out of this book! Dirty trucks, clean trucks, trucks who turn into superheros; I do not believe there is anything else a truck loving child could want! "Help is only a wash away."

[Lindsey G · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an average truck/superhero picture book. My four year old truck lover thought it was good. For me, the language was nothing stellar, especially the inclusion of, like, the kind of talk I'm trying to discourage in my children!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This made me laugh out loud. Mighty truck works so hard he's always dirty and hates to get clean. One day he does and helps out many neighbors. Will he stay clean or not? Cute Toddler and up. Although right group of toddlers.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, I thought this one was kind of stupid. But if I were a four-year-old who loved trucks, this book would be awesome.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did anyone else notice the ST on the side of the truck in one of the spreads instead of MT? It must be intentional, but I can't imagine why. Same premise as Supertruck.

[Jenn C · Rating 2 out of 5]

For any kid who was a fan of "Cars", this would be right up their alley. Very comic book-like in it's illustrations, it's not my cup of tea, but any superhero relishing kid would enjoy it.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bright, energetic, and sure to be a hit with truck fans.