Little Excavator

April 10, 2017
Little E, the smallest construction vehicle at the site of a future park, is eager to do his part in this raucous rhyming outing from the late Dewdney (the Llama Llama series), which is stuffed with noisy vehicular sound effects. “Little E tries lifting up some junk junk junk!” she writes, but the load is too much for him, and “there goes Little Excavator—over with a clunk!” The big trucks are kind and ready to rescue him, but they’re also busy (children will almost certainly think of the adults in their own lives), and it proves dispiriting for Little E to be constantly reminded that he’s neither independent nor helpful (“Not yet, Little Excavator... Someday when you’re big”). The story is familiar, but Dewdney’s little hero is so chipper and gung-ho—he breaks into a small, confident smile whenever he’s had a success—that it’s impossible not to root for him. When he finally gets a job that’s a perfect fit for his diminutive size, his happiness and the bow he takes are both well deserved. Ages 2–5. Agent: Deborah Warren, East West Literary.

Starred review from April 1, 2017
A petite excavator named Little E finds his place among a crew of full-sized, heavy-construction equipment working together to build a park.The anthropomorphic Little E, with bright, friendly eyes and a cheery smile, invites readers into the story on the large-format cover. He is followed by a brown-and-white-spotted dog, which appears throughout the story as a friend to Little E. The construction vehicles arrive at an abandoned lot and begin working together to transform the property into a park. The rollicking, rhyming text names each type of rig and its function, including lots of sound effects and action verbs set in display type integrated into the illustrations: "Pusha-pusha smusha-smusha SMASH SMASH SMASH!" Little E tries to help with each step, but he is either too small or not strong enough for the task at hand. The last step of the park-construction project is the planting of a tree on an island reached by a bridge, but all the big rigs are too large to safely cross the wooden bridge. In a pitch-perfect conclusion, Little E is just the right size for the job. Dewdney, the late author/illustrator of the Llama Llama series, has constructed a solid winner for one of her final books, with an appealing main character, vibrant illustrations with varying perspectives, and an action-packed, rhyming text with sound effects just begging to be read aloud with dramatic effect. An A+ for Little E and his creator. (Picture book. 2-5)

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June 1, 2017

PreS-K-Little E, a baby excavator, busily tries to help the big rigs as they work to build a park, but he is either too small for the task or in the way. It's only when the construction is nearly done that there's a job that none of the mighty machines can get to, and it's Little E's turn to shine. The cheerful, anthropomorphized machines are illustrated in Dewdney's signature, child-friendly style, and there is onomatopoeia galore as each truck is introduced and gets to work. Fans of Dewdney's "Llama Llama" books will find the rhythm of the text and the positive tone familiar. VERDICT A fun first purchase for all preschool collections.-Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2017
Preschool-K This book sweetly transfers every small child's yearning to play with the big kids to a construction site, where Little Excavator tries his best to work among the big rigs. Winsomely kidlike Little E is eager to show he can dig and fill holes, but mostly he gets in the way of the huge trucks as he topples over or accidentally gets scooped up. The illustrations are cheerful and appealingly detailed, and Dewdney fills the site with hardworking favorites: a bulldozer, a loader, a dump truck, a backhoe, and a crane. But the sound effects are what truly stand out. Simple, rhyming text is punctuated with wonderful machinelike noises: Pusha-pusha smusha-smusha SMASH SMASH SMASH! The story has a satisfying arc, with Little E trying and failing, and then getting pushed aside and told he's too little, until there is a job that only he, being small, can do. Dewdney, the author of the Llama Llama series, passed away in 2016, but has left a marvelous legacy, including this latest charmer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)