Truckery Rhymes

Jon Scieszka's Trucktown

by Jon Scieszka, David Shannon (Illustrator), Loren Long (Illustrator)

For generations these classic, high-octane rhymes, songs, and tales have been passed down from truck to truck. Lucky for us, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature has collected them all into one really big, noisy volume. From “Peter Peter Payload Eater” to “Pop Blows the Diesel” to “Swing Around with Rosie,” all the classic truckery rhymes are here. Find out which one is your favorite!

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Childrens, Nursery Rhymes, Trucks, Kids, Humor

64 pages, Hardcover

First published June 19, 2009

About the author

Jon Scieszka is an American children's writer, best known for picture books created with the illustrator Lane Smith. He is also a nationally recognized reading advocate, and the founder of Guys Read – a web-based literacy program for boys whose mission is "to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers."

Reviews

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 2 and 4 year old nephews loved this.

[Kathy (Kindle-aholic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids thought this was hilarious. They love different spins on known nursery rhymes.

[Karen]

Book Title: Truckery Rhymes
Author: Jon Scieszka
Reading Level: N
Book Level: 3.4

Book Summary: This is your traditional nursery rhymes with a truck theme spin.

Writing Traits:
Word Choice- This mentor text uses descriptive words that fit into a truck theme to change up very familiar nursery rhymes. It would be a great example to show students how we can change up familiar lyrics and poems to match the rhythm or pattern of poems we know.
Ideas-This book has a collection of poems that use lots of familiar nursery rhymes but changes the idea to theme them with trucks. I would use this to show students how we can theme about something we know a lot about to help us build our poems.

Other Ideas: Nursery rhymes are a great way to work with early readers to be able to identify words and track across sentences. The sing song way they are read and the patterns help. If you add in the theme of trucks you grab a huge group of students. This would make a great small group guided reading group.

[Jacki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truckery Rhymes puts a spin on the classic Mother Goose rhymes by making them all about different types of trucks. Dump trucks, fire trucks, and monster trucks make appearances in poems like Little Miss Muffet, Three Kings in a Tub, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. A variety of colors, fonts, and image sizes contribute to the tone of each individual poem.

What an incredibly clever book! I like that Scieszka branched out from his fractured fairy tales to write a fractured poetry book like this. I think adults would get just as much enjoyment out of this as children. It was a little distracting visually because every page was laid out so differently, but the poems were fun. I also appreciate that certain words like ‘zoom’ and ‘loud’ are made larger and have special visual effects on them to highlight that they should be read differently.

[Hailey Corman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes poetry fun and relatable for kids! Most kids know these classic stores such as, “patty cake, patty cake” but it’s done in the sense of a truck theme. Could get students who are interested in trucks interested in poetry!

[Neurocomp · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic twist on classic nursery rhymes.

My nephew enjoys this very much and has as saying botht the original and reading the alternate back to back

[Janet Frost · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted this book for tge rhyming theme. It wasn't my favorite, but the 3 year old loved it. Whats not to love about finding ways to use Smash and Crash rhymes.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The nursery rhymes in this book are classic rhymes with a truck twist. They are cute and the illustrations are wonderful!

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute take on everyday, common nursery rhymes, just adding trucks, excavators, etc. to the subjects and words. Perfect for any truck-loving kid!

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorite nursery rhymes twisted and fractured to fit in the world of trucks. A fun read for the truck lover who enjoys a good poem from time to time.

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very silly rhymes; so Scieszka humor!

[Kaitlyn Shoemaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book would be in early primary grades and is a poetry book. Even though this was a really long book full of rhymes I really enjoyed them all. I appreciated the fact that they wrote out the rhymes and not just summarized the rhymes up. It brought up a lot of fun memories from singing all these songs when I was younger.

[Kelly Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 // This is always a hit with my three year old who loves trucks, and the rhymes are cute too! They have the classic Scieszka spin, and some end quite abruptly. Although, it feels like the Wheels on the Bus rhyme goes on forever....

[Leslie Stair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I use this book along with Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker for my Toddler Storybook Art Class

I actually read Rinker's book aloud to the group first (I used a lot of dialogic aspects and participation activities-like have children act out some of the activities like sleeping, digging, etc-to keep the interest of the group. It is a longer story for the youngest kids)but you could read either one or any other book about vehicles. Then we talked a little about the different types of vehicles and the project we would be doing. I showed the group a sample of what the car painting looks like and stressed to caregivers that this activity (like most) is about the process and not the product and lot about sharing with other (trading cars with other children as they work). I also quickly showed a color wheel and mentioned that adults could also include some dialog about color mixing with their child as they worked since I used the 3 primary colors in each tray and of course this would result in creating secondary colors both in the tray as they ran the cars through it and on their paper as they make tire marks.

I had plenty of extra paper on hand for kids if they wanted to start again (most did not, they loved just adding tracks on top of tracks) and I encouraged children to trade cars with others and pointed out color mixing on their paper as well as the types of lines and textures that were being created. After about 10-15 minutes I suggested that anyone ready to move on could go and wash their cars at the "car wash" I had set up before hand in another area. I simply had a few large bowls and a bucket or warm soapy water on the floor on plastic tablecloths with towels next to them. The children LOVED washing and drying the cars so leave enough time for everyone to get to do this.

For those who were done I read from Truckery Rhymes (Jon Scieszka's Trucktown) and the others joined us as they finished up. This was a very successful and engaging activity that the children and the adults loved.

*Since I sometimes have older children who attend the program I also offered crayons before the painting began and suggested that some children might want to draw roads or scenes on their paper first. A few older kids did (4 and 5 year olds) but most were really just excited to jump right into using the cars.

[Ms.Gaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you seen this new title by Jon Scieszka (the first National Ambassador for Children's Literature)? I have not paid much attention to the Trucktown books but Truckery Rhymes is different. It's a delightful collection of comical verse appealing to a new generation of young fans who like trucks, rhymes and humor. Offering the same natural rhythm and cadence of traditional nursery rhymes, Scieszka has created fresh interpretations with lots of action and adventure. The Design Garage (David Shannon, Loren Long, David Gordon) created the energetic illustrations.

The book has a perfect combination of playful illustrations and original rhymes in easily recognized patterns. From "Jack and Kat raced up the hill, To burn some crazy rubber" to "Metal and stuff and everything tough - That's what trucks are made of", these are funny and exciting new rhymes! It's a truck-load" of action-packed adventure! The large size makes it a great picture book and the large font inside also offers new readers a chance to try out their reading skills.

Last week after story time, a young attendee who just turned 2 years old was showing me his favorite Trucktown board book.He was naming all the characters - using their full names too! (for instance, not just "Gabriella" but "Garbage Truck Gabriella") His mom said he had memorized the book almost entirely, asking for it to be read over and over and over...

While that board book was his favorite title, as a children's librarian, I love Truckery Rhymes for its visual appeal, distinctiveness, and sensibility in using traditional, rhythmic text.

[Brenda Roman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truckery Rhymes by Jon Scieszka's Trucktown, is a wonderful book in poetry for young children. It’s about songs and rhymes that have been passed down from truck to truck. Each rhymes incorporates trucks in some way. Children are going to be able immediately know the rhyme scheme and relate it to the trucks.

The illustrations are very interesting and will have children reading for more. Utilizing no white space and mainly taking up the whole page. There are many fun colorful colors and throughout the book different font are being used some are bold and fat, some are skinny, some are all different colors. Children will enjoy reading the book alone and learning new facts on trucks. Black borders are used for more advanced background for young readers. Each page is different making it interested for children to stay entertained. The facial expressions of some of the characters are very vibrant. An informational text for children to learn about trucks and read about poetry. Although the themes presented are valuable, there are many presented in the story. This issue could be passed down to young readers, having a great time flipping the pages and seeing different colors, fonts, and illustrations wanting them to read it again. overall, the text is clearly written and the plot is very straight forward and easy to follow, making it a great read aloud book.

[Bianca Arias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by Jon Scieszka, Truckery Rhymes, is a wonderfully well put poetry book for young children, and even adults who are looking for a good read! There are a variety of rhymes within the book that have to do with trucks. Each rhyme, some way - some how, incorporates trucks in some new way. Children are easily able to recognize the popular rhyme scheme and associate it with trucks instead.

As described before, each page has totally new rhyme on it. The fonts vary from page to page and are all different. On some pages there are bold and fat, some are thin and skinny, some also very colorful. This makes the stories very vibrant and are readable to where readers are interested to read all of the different rhymes. The pictures are all filled with great detailed. The trucks are given human qualities and characteristics that makes it very entertaining to read for children. Borders are used to create a more advanced background for the readers. It is interesting because each page is so unique and different, making it really easy for children to stay interested.

This rhyming book is a great one to read to young kids. They will have fun listening to the rhymes and songs as well as learning about trucks! The pages are exploding with color and detail, which draws the eye. You will never be bored reading this story!

[Marlowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son found Truckery Rhymes and the library and insisted that we take it home – I’m glad we did! It’s a fantastic little book of alternative lyrics for well-known nursery rhymes, all having to do with trucks. “Ring Around the Rosie” becomes “Swing Around with Rosie” about Rosie the wrecking ball crane, for example.

My son really enjoyed the truck-based lyrics, and I loved the little jokes – the places where the rhythm is disrupted for comedic effect, for example. The illustrations are gorgeous and have really captivated my 2.5 year old son. Each image is very lively and interesting.

I also appreciate the gender balance in the book. Most truck-based books are marketed towards boys and don’t have any female vehicles – or, if they do, the female vehicles aren’t very interesting (I’m looking at you, Sally from Cars). But here, there are a few female trucks – only one of which is pink. They are strong (Rosie is a wrecking ball crane!), they are active, and there is nothing to separate them from the male trucks.

So far, we’ve only had the book a few hours, but we’ve already read it through at least half a dozen times. I definitely recommend it!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not very certain whether or not my nephew would like Truckery Rhymes. He knows some nursery rhymes, but not *that* many, so I kind of wondered if a lot of the creativity in these reworked rhymes would be lost on him. But he did laugh at the reworkings of the rhymes he was familiar with. He was engaged by both the text and the illustrations, and he just loved that we were reading a book that had trucks in it.

For some reason I am not a huge fan of Jon Scieszka's books, but the Trucktown books really seem to fit my nephew's idea of a good book, so they're good enough for me. I learned about Guys Read from the back of this book, and I am very excited about a website dedicated to encouraging reading in males. It *is* hard for me, a female, to find a book that I think would really grab my nephew's attention, because his tastes are not always the same as his sister's or mine. Guys Read will help me find books that lean more toward my nephew's tastes, and I appreciated that this website was mentioned in Truckery Rhymes.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Jon Scieszka met him at a Book Expo and several book signings. He and several other authors are making great efforts to encourage and write books for boys through www.guysread.com.

Truckery Rhymes takes nursery rhymes and gives them a male spin with the addition of various types of trucks and words that lend to a more male take, but that does not mean a little girl would not find the fun in the rewriting of these rhymes.

Here is a sample of one of the rhymes -

Rock-a-Bye Mixer

Rock-abye mixer at the site top.
When the wind blows, the building will rock.
When the beam breaks, the mixer will fall.
And down will come Melvin- bricks, beams, and all.

Illustrations are done by 3 wonderful guys David Shannon, Loren Long and David Gordon.

Appropriate for ages 3-8 and grades PreK-3rd. Some wonderful activities for using the book can be found at - http://books.simonandschuster.com/Tru...

I bought this book for my nephew and he loved the book.

[Madison Hays · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truckery Rhymes written by Jon Scieszka is a wonderful poetry book for young children. There are multiple rhymes throughout the book that have to do with trucks. Each rhyme incorporates trucks in some way. Children are able to recognize the popular rhyme scheme and associate it with trucks instead.

Each page has a new rhyme on it. The fonts are all different. Some are bold and fat, some are skinny, some are all different colors. This makes the stories come to life and adds color to each page. The pictures are all very detailed. The trucks are given humanistic qualities which is entertaining to the children. Borders are used to create a more advanced background for the readers. It is interesting because each page is so unique and different, making it really easy for children to stay interested.

This rhyming book is a great one to read to young kids. They will have fun listening to the rhymes and songs as well as learning about trucks! The pages are exploding with color and detail, which draws the eye. You will never be bored reading this story!

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truckery Rhymes written by Jon Scieszka is a fun poetry book for young children. There are multiple rhymes throughout the book that have to do with trucks. Each rhyme incorporates trucks in some way. Children are able to recognize the popular rhyme scheme and associate it with trucks instead.

Each page has a different rhyme on it. The fonts are all different. Some are bold and fat, some are skinny, some are all different colors. This makes the stories come to life and adds color to each page. The pictures are all very detailed. The trucks are given humanistic qualities which is entertaining to the children. Borders are used to create a more advanced background for the readers. It is interesting because each page is so unique and different, making it really easy for children to stay interested.

This rhyming book is a great one to read to young kids. They will have fun listening to the rhymes and songs as well as learning about trucks. The pages are flooded with color and detail, which draws the eye. You will never be bored reading this story.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute book. Chock full of nursery rhymes with truck themes! Some of them were hard to read because they tune didn't quite keep up in syllables, but most of them were really cute and done well.

I think my daughter's favorite was "Wheels on the Truck". This is one of her favorite songs, so she really enjoyed the twist on this one.

The illustrations were bright and colorful and full pages on most. You are introduced to a lot of different trucks throughout the book and then they are all compiled in one picture at the very end.

The book is a little long because it has a lot of rhymes in it, but it was really cute. A must read for truck lovers or if you just want some fun with twists on classic nursery rhymes.

[Paige Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truckery Rhymes by Jon Scieska was a very fun book to read. The poems are all about trucks! They have the same rhythm as popular, well-known poems. Trucks are incorporated into each page. The majority of the poems were short and sweet only lasting a page or two. The illustrations popped off the page. Each one was different and unique. The illustrator used an array of bright colors. The detail in each picture was amazing. The fonts on each page are different. Children will be entertained with the pictures. Boys would love this book! Children will love to look at the pictures and sing along with the poems. I highly recommend for children to be read this book.

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truckery Rhymes written by Jon Scieszka is a fun poetry book for young children. Each rhyme has a truck-like twist to its classic nursery rhyme. So young Readers are able to recognize the popular rhyme scheme and associate it with trucks instead. Like so, the wheels on the firetruck go....
Alongside Each truckery rhyme is it's very own truck or even multiple trucks. From a bright red firetruck to a pastel colored ice cream truck, each realistic illustration complements it's partnering rhyme allowing the readers to form a connection to their poem.

This rhyming book is a great one to read to young kids. They will have fun listening to the rhymes and songs as well as learning about trucks.

[Cathy Blackler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book four stars because of the wonderful ways it could be used in an elementary classroom. Scieszka, along w/illustrators David Shannon, Loren Long, and David Gordon have created a wonderful book of fractured nursery rhymes. The truck theme proves constant throughout and onomatopoeia words abound. Teachers could use Scieszka's fresh take on traditional rhymes to do a compare and contrast lesson. In addition, students could try to rewrite nursery rhymes using trucks or some other popular subject. Looking forward to sending this book to my 7-year old nephew.

[Jacob Combs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book because my four year old boy loves trucks. So I figured I'd give the book a shot since all the rhymes are truck-themed. The rhymes themselves are based off of traditional nursery rhymes. It turns out he loves the book and will gladly let me read it to him. He really enjoys all the different types of trucks in it. It's nice too because I have learned some of the rhymes from reading it numerous times and can recite them during boring tasks to keep him more engaged. I'm very happy with this book.

[Maddie Shell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course I would choose a Jon Scieszka book! I clearly just can't get enough of him. I love his style of writing and how he takes classic stories and really twists and changes them. This book reminds me a lot of the Stinky Cheese Man because it takes classic nursery rhymes and really changes them. I really enjoyed reading this because of the interesting illustrations that really were great examples of a lot of the things we talked about for our picture book analysis. Jon Scieszka is turning into one of my favorite children's lit authors!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids look forward to singing "The Wheels on the Bus." I think that they would also like "The Wheels on the Truck."
The cadence of the original rhymes stays intact and adds a lot of fun and makes the rhymes more contemporary.
An example is with "Rock-a-Bye Mixer."
"...When the wind blows, the building will rock.
When the beam breaks, the mixer will fall..."
The illustration is vibrant and creative as well.