I'm Dirty!

With a digger in back and a bucket up front, there's not a task this backhoe doesn't find "as easy as (mud) pie." Following a celebrated line of McMullan hard-working vehicles (a tugboat and a garbage truck), this dude is ready for duty--whether scooping up, dumping in, pulling out, or cleaning up. Steve Buscemi narrates with gusto, delighting in the escapades of this vehicle. His boisterous enthusiasm is in perfect sync with the text--both the words and the illustrations. Jaunty music underscores the animated adventures. The recording includes an interview with the McMullans, who share tidbits about the creation of the story. A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Starred review from July 24, 2006
As they did in I Stink!
and I'm Mighty!
, these creative collaborators introduce a spunky anthropomorphic character—in this case a backhoe loader who relishes his dirty work. "Who's got a boom, a dipper stick, and a bucket with a row of chompers? Me
! And that's just my rear
end," he announces proudly. After a flatbed truck carries him to a lot filled with discarded items, the backhoe digs in with gusto, providing an alliterative countdown as he cleans up 10 torn-up truck tires, nine fractured fans, eight busted beach umbrellas, etc. "Hope ya like noise," he says gleefully, as he drops his load in a dumpster, creating quite a din ("Clank! Bang! Bong! Clunk!
"). The cheerful, chatty fellow then uproots a tree stump ("Aw Stumpie—loosen up") and fills in the hole, a job he deems a "piece of cake. Make that a mud
cake with dirt sprinkles and a scoop of Rocky Road." After taking a mud bath and flattening out the lot, the machine, much to his delight, is dirty indeed. Energetic illustrations capture these mucky goings-on with a large dollop of humor, as type of varying sizes cavorts playfully across the pages. Abundant sound effects make this a high-spirited read-aloud. Ages 4-8.