Yellow Truck Road Train
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley June 25, 2020
Author Mandy Tootell
Distributor: A&U Children's
ISBN: 9781760525811
Publisher: A&U Children's
Release Date: June 2020
Website: https://www.allenandunwin.com
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Based on a real-life family who live in Katherine, Yellow Truck Road Train will delight any truck mad child’s heart, as a little boy goes on a long trip with his Dad in the Yellow Truck Road Train. For readers not familiar with a road train, it is series of large trailers used for carting stock on long distances and pulled by a massive prime mover. A road train can be up to four trailers or bogies long.
Set in the outback of Australia where distances are vast and stock needs to be moved long distances, we join the road train at the end of the wet season, as they go to pick-up a load of weaners for the campdraft. A truck steak is enjoyed at night when they stop for a sleep and when they pass Dad’s mate Pickles heading in the other direction, they have a chat to him on the radio.
Through the eyes of little boy travelling the vast landscape of Australia, children are introduced to a slice of life very different to theirs in most cases. The bold, lavish illustrations capture perfectly the large machinery and equipment used in the remote landscapes of the Outback.
A very large four page spread at the end of the book details all the many aspects of a typical 6 deck road train and is guaranteed to create hours of enjoyment for children who enjoy trucks and large machinery, with a small glossary included to help with the meaning of words, such as weaner, build-up and bogle.
Mandy Tootell has captured the spirit of life in the outback, remote locations and vast distances superbly which is no doubt to her living the life as well as her excellent, bold, big and very real illustration which will appeal to small children who love books about trucks.