The Village Garage

April 15, 2010
Preschool-G Each season brings its own challenges to the workers at the Village Garage. In spring, they clean up winters debris from the roads and wash their trucks. In summer, they patch potholes, deal with damage from a thunderstorm, and host a Fourth of July party. Autumn brings falling leaves, sucked up by the Elephant Truck, and a broken pipe to mend. In winter all is quiet until a big snowstorm comes, and they must clear the roads. Children will enjoy watching this amiable crew balancing work and play as the year cycles through the seasons. Adding bits of fun along the way, the simple text explains their tasks without too much detail. Nicely varied in composition, the appealing pencil, gouache, and acrylic illustrations offer wonderfully childlike depictions of the workers and their machines. Great for kids fascinated by outdoor workers, this picture book offers a welcome change of pace from more basic volumes on trucks.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)