Two Tough Trucks

June 1, 2019
They are both trucks, but diametrically opposing personalities make them a mechanized odd couple. New-school jitters may render some trucks wobbly in the gears, but for others it's an opportunity for fun. Outgoing Mack is a go-getter who loves to take risks while quiet Rig is eaten up with anxiety. When their bespectacled teacher, a semi named Miss Rhodes (what else?), pairs them up on a twisty track, the two have a hard time finding their groove. Mack is constantly leaving Rig in his dust, but when the time comes for some tricky backward driving, the speedster discovers that sometimes having a patient friend is worth more than getting ahead. Evoking a dry and dusty Western landscape rife with cactuses and roadrunners, Leung manipulates his digital art to make his vehicular characters as demonstrative as possible. The little Rig in particular has expressive eyebrows that knot into a perfect curlicue when worried and slope and dip with every disappointment. Refreshingly, the authors do not dodge the truth that sometimes you will finish last. But while tears may be shed, it is by no means the end of your race. Looks like the first-day-of-school genre just got a high-octane upgrade. (Picture book. 4-6)

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