Supertruck

by Stephen A. Savage

When the city is hit by a colossal snowstorm, only one superhero can save the day. But who is this mysterious hero, and why does he disappear once his job is done?

Find out in this snowy tale about a little truck with a very big job, the second of Stephen Savage's vehicle-based picture books.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Transport, Childrens, Trucks, Superheroes, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published December 30, 2014

About the author

Brooklyn-based Stephen Savage is the New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of 15 books for children. He is the recipient of a New York Times Best Illustrated Book award, a Sendak Fellowship, and a Geisel Honor.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many types of trucks around town. When a blizzard comes (must be a Canadian story, eh?!), everyone gets trapped, including all the trucks. Only one truck... SUPERTRUCK, can save the day, Afterwards, everyone wants to know who he was, but his alter-ego remains a mystery. Neo liked that it was a quick read and, like SuperMan, the character wore glasses to disguise his 'normal' self.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Startled me at first - what is this "just collects the trash" nonsense? The last thing we need is to give little ones picture books to reinforce stereotypes of jobs and class and all that mess.

But then.... SUPERTRUCK! An adorable story about not judging people based on the work they do. Anyone can be a hero. Everyone is important. Even if nobody knows what you've done, you're still valuable and worthwhile.

Excellent.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I really wish I could drive in a truck, like a fire truck.” - Ella

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many brave and hard-working trucks in the city. There are trucks that help put out fires. There are trucks that tow. There are trucks that fix power lines. And then there is the quiet little garbage truck that just picks up garbage. Then one day a snow storm hits the city. All of the trucks are stranded in the snow and unable to move. All but one little truck, who takes off his glasses and trades in a snowplow. The little garbage truck heads off to save the day!

This very simple picture book has a radiant appeal to it. It combines very cleverly the appeal of trucks and superheroes without it feeling forced at all. With just the right amount of text for toddlers, even the youngest of children will find lots to love here.

A lot of the appeal of this picture book is in the illustrations which are bold and colorful. The boxy trucks are shown against silhouettes of the city, allowing them to really shine. Perhaps the best touch are the large glasses on the garbage truck before he transforms into Supertruck. Fans of Superman will find that little touch completely endearing. And am I the only one who can see a line of toys coming straight out of these illustrations?

Clever, dynamic and heroic, this picture book will please little truck and superhero fans alike. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

[Vernon Area Public Library KIDS · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many trucks that help out in the city, like the bucket truck, fire truck, and tow truck. All go about with their daily routines and tasks; a seemingly normal life for most trucks. But wait! The unsuspecting garbage truck has dual powers! After sneaking into the city garage it becomes -- the mighty Supertruck! ST transforms into a snow plow truck and saves the city from a blizzard. Supertruck's fierce awesomeness is a must for truck-crazed toddlers and preschoolers. Recommended for children ages 1-5. Reviewed by: Alyson D., Youth Services, Vernon Area Public Library

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

While at first glance the art seems almost too simplistic, it suits the story so well, giving a comic book feel as the tale unfolds. At first I was kind of offended by the truck "just collecting the trash" because I felt it was belittling what is a very important job. Then I laughed when I saw where this was going and was delighted at the change that came over the truck in the snowstorm. Very cute and enjoyable story!

[Elizabeth Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple story about super trucks (like firetrucks, tow trucks, and bucket truck). One day they get stuck in a storm and the garbage truck comes to the rescue.

Sweet story. Would be great for early readers. Could use to introduce community helpers.

[Cheryl Gladfelter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this story and the Clark Kent type truck who secretly has super powers. Very fun.

[Kate Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very simple but adorable and my youngest nephew loved shouting out the names of different vehicles. I liked the unlikely hero aspect of the story. ;)

[Chance Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable story in which a Clark Kent-esque Garbage Truck transforms into "Supertruck"! He plows the city. It's simple, but cute.

[Tegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute! I love the incorporation of Superman into this!

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll admit--I was extremely worried about where this book was going when they put down the garbage truck's job. That's probably the bravest job there is! But then when I realized where the book was going, I was able to smile and enjoy and not feel as affronted. :-) It also took me to the end of the book to notice the truck wears glasses. Nice, Clark. I think my preschool storytimers will love this.

1/27/16 Used in D is for.... I told them it would be tricky to figure out where the D was, and then at the end I helped them learn the word "disguise." They really enjoyed the story. Even though it was quite simple, it was perfect. They loved the illustrations. They really connected with the snow part since we've had a lot lately. And they liked seeing him come out and be a hero.

1/31/18 Closer for D theme. Forgot how short this was. But it gave them more time to do the Driving Course during play time. They didn't know the word Disguise, so I taught them that and they smiled.

2/9/18 Daddy had already read to SD and SS. I got to read this for bedtime. Smiles and interactions from SD and a little from SS in colors, smiles, frowns, etc.

[Shoshana G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this at Baby-Toddler story time. It was perfect for that audience - they loved all the trucks! The sentences are short and there aren't many words per page, so it was particularly easy to be able to show all the pictures to my extra large audience.

Plus, fit well with our blizzard last week!

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made my heart happy, and I wasn't expecting it! I can see preK and Kg kids eating this book up!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun for fans of big vehicles! Who was that supertruck who plowed the snow?

[Laura McLoughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What fun! Very cute story! My favorite part - that the garbage truck wears glasses, just like all good, mild-mannered alter egos.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun story. I find it very appropriate that I read this book during the Blizzard of 2016!

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

The garbage truck has a secret identity...

Might try this for our Summer Hero theme of Heroes.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geisel Award 2016 Honor

[Jenny Wiruth]

Supertruck is an award winning picture book about a super truck that saves a city during a blizzard. The book starts out by showing all the different types of trucks in the city and the jobs they do. While telling what the dump does the books explains it in a way that shows the dump truck is nothing special. However, when a blizzard traps all of the other trucks; it is the dump truck that saves everyone. This book is an easy read and is easy for children for follow. Children will not only enjoy this story, but they will also learn what certain truck do. This book won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor in 2016.
While reading this book out loud I would make the noises of each of the different trucks. Before I started reading the book though, I would show the children the cover of the book and ask them what truck they thought was on the cover (it is the dump truck). And I would point out the award on the cover. After I was done reading the book I would ask the children what truck the dump truck looked like what he saved everyone (he looks a lot like a snowplow).

An app that will promote literacy in preschoolers is the app Learning Kids ABC Phonics: Lite. This app is free in the Google Play Store. It has different categories that children can use. Some of the categories are: sounds, reading, writing, and more. This app gives children games that they can play while learning how to read and write.
On the website readingrockets.org you can subscribe to a newsletter and get information about learning/teaching how to read and write. The newsletter will keep you up-to-date with all your childhood literacy interests.

[Mama Bibliosoph · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little grey garbage truck with thick Clark Kent-style glasses "just collects the trash" while all around him trucks do cool things like fix power lines (a green bucket truck), put out a fires (a red firetruck), or rescue others (a blue tow truck). But then there is a huge snowfall and the little garbage truck becomes 'SUPERTRUCK' and digs out the city!

The art is wonderfully simple. The clean, digital illustrations set apart characters with distinct colors. Simple graphic line backgrounds show an urban setting without distracting. The transformation of the garbage truck from grey to blue is a perfect way to communicate the concept of a secret identity (although I wish he'd kept his glasses).

With just a short, single sentence on each two-page spread, Supertruck is an easy-to-understand superhero story for kids who love trucks.

---
I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is part of a longer post on books for kids who really love trucks: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/20-boo...

[Lauren Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story would be a great addition to classrooms as it better fits the type of reading that young boys enjoy. “Supertruck” by Stephen Savage serves as both an information piece and entertainment as it gives fairly correct information about different trucks and contains a cute tale. Through personifying the trucks to act like humans, provides an approachable tale depicting what happens to the trucks during a heavy snowstorm in the city. This story is perfect for young readers as it contains minimum large print text and images that are not overly distracting. While this book is a great entertainment piece it has a very small drawback in that not all the information about what each truck does is completely accurate. This is not a major flaw but considering that traditionally speaking boys are interested in reading books about trucks and they read to learn. It is important that they are getting accurate information.

[Robyn Bronson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only have my 3 year old and I read this book, but we have read it probably over 100 times (with no exaggeration)!;)
We first got it from the library, and then I had to buy our own copy, because it was such a hit! He loved everything about it - the expressions on the faces of the vehicles when they got stuck in the snow, counting them, the colors of the trucks, and their jobs... He was even fascinated by the traffic light in one of the pictures. And when Supertruck went into the garage (think Clark Kent) to emerge as the hero, every time I turned the page he now yelled "SUPERTRUCK" exuberantly!
Definitely a hit in this household! It almost looks worn out already, and we haven't had it very long!:)

[Jessica Mowery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cute book tells of what jobs different kinds of trucks do. When a huge snow storm comes to town, all the trucks become stuck. One truck who is overlooked is the garbage truck who's only job is to collect trash... or so they thought. Grabarage truck comes to the rescue when he turns into a snow plow truck. All the trucks wonder who saved them but can't find the mysterious truck the next day. Any child who loves trucks would enjoy reading or listening to this book. With easy vocabulary and cartoon illustrations, this is a great starter book for children who are learning to read.

[Paige Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great read to use for my transportation unit. It introduces a new form of transportation that many young students may not be familiar with -- A snow truck. It talks all about what a snow truck does and how/why. The students are able to hear and see what it looks like and how it's used. This is a great book to read during the winter months. Some students may be able to relate to the book by telling about how they may have seen a snow truck on the roads before. You can use this book to compare and contrast to other types of motor vehicles they might see or be learning about.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know that when I wake up on a snowy morning, I am always glad to hear Supertruck rumbling through my neighborhood. None of the other brave trucks of the city give much thought to the unassuming garbage truck, in this cute picture book. But when snow begins to bury the city, there's a mysterious hero who makes it so all the other important trucks can do their jobs. This would be fun to share with young readers as a wintertime read.

[Mackenzie Hoolihan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about different types of trucks that do different jobs in the city. The book tells readers what each truck does. A snowstorm hits the city, and the garbage truck comes to the rescue. The book does not look highly of the garbage truck until it finds the snowplow and clears the snow out of the city. I like this book because it teaches children about different types of trucks. I think little boys, and girls, will grow to love this book very much.

[Jackson Linko · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modest garbage truck turns into a hero during a snowstorm in the charming and straightforward tale Supertruck. While the message of silent bravery and unspoken strength speaks to readers of all ages, the simple text and sparse illustrations make it ideal for younger readers. Despite its short length, the story is touching and memorable. For children who enjoy stories about unlikely heroes or trucks, it's a great option.

[Jonathon J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a truck who saves the day during a snowstorm because all of the other trucks get trapped from the storm. The book is more than that because it starts out with showing different trucks and the different things they do in the city. This can show kids what certain trucks do in the city.

[Laura Kellow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was so cute and does a great job of introducing students to community helpers. I loved that Savage captures the idea that not all superheroes wear capes. It also teachers students at a young age to appreciate all those who drive "SuperTrucks" and the impact they are making. Definitely a must!