Five Trucks

by Brian Floca

Here are five trucks with a single purpose. Clue #1: A boy and his father watch the busy drivers of the five trucks through a large window. Clue #2: A plaid suitcase is an important part of the progress that father and son are following. The five trucks -- each labeled appropriately as catering truck, baggage tractor, baggage conveyor, mechanic's truck, and push-out tractor -- all belong to a team. And their focus? One airplane, which viewers gradually see in greater and greater detail as takeoff nears. The text is brisk, the watercolor illustrations meticulous yet breezy. At the end, the airborne boy waves through his plane window at the five drivers who have become -- for him and for this appealing book's young audience -- as good as friends.

Genres: Picture Books, Trucks, Transport, Childrens, Storytime, Counting, Aeroplanes

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 1999

About the author

Brian Floca is the author-illustrator of the Caldecott Medal winner Locomotive, the Robert F. Sibert Honor books Moonshot and Lightship, and other picture books, and is the illustrator of many more books for young readers. Brian Floca lives and works in Brooklyn.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highlights five types of trucks and what they help get done at an airport. Opportunity to count and act out some of the actions (twist, turn, up, down, takeoff).

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sure fire hit for transportation/truck enthusiasts (you know who they are!)

Five trucks at an airport . . . make it possible for one airplane to take off.

Text counts up to five, describing each truck, then counts backward. As it counts down, a small label at the bottom of the page notes what kind of truck it is, which is great for children who love to name things.

Text is short enough and pictures large enough to make it great for preschool storytime sharing.

(originally published in 1999)

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple story that highlights 5 different vehicles used at airports.

[Israel Waltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade: K
genre: contemporary realistic fiction
This book is definitely for beginning readers. it uses simplistic words and repetition which should help kids learn how to read. though it is a very simplistic book it still provides interesting information about the five trucks that get a plane ready for its departure. because there are so few word the illustrations ar key to helping a student understand how the truck performs the function that the words tell is it can do. because it is somewhat interesting I recommend this book but mostly only to people that are at the beginning reader level.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the book to read your child... if your child is feeling truculent!

Joke. I couldn't resist making that pun. Actually, this charming and involving book might just be the thing to cure a cranky, bored child's truculence.

Learning aplenty happens through this cool story by Brian Floca. Children learn about five different trucks, and their various jobs.

Meanwhile the story emphasizes hurry-hurry-hurry.

I love how this book for preschoolers can help children to make sense of their world.

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straight up, Five Trucks made me rethink my whole relationship with my to-do list. Brian Floca argues that a never-ending list is less a plan and more a way to feel permanently behind, and the chapter on "done lists" had me writing down everything I'd actually finished that day, which was more than I expected. A few sections feel like the same idea in different packaging. For anybody who ends every day feeling like they got nothing done. Skip it if you want a full productivity system.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by the direction of this book, which I thought would be truck-centric - and it was - but it's set at an airport! My toddler is pretty into this book, which he can look at and enjoy independently, and I can see that it would be of interest for any traveling toddler. I definitely learned names of all those trucks (tractors!) at the airport!

[Kama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informational Nonfiction
Grade level: Pre-K to 1

This book provides information about trucks and what they do. It is simple text, so it is perfect for beginning readers. I find that most boys like trucks and this book would appeal to them, especially because they most likely could read it on their own.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for families with little travelers! My son and I have spent many hours at the airport and a lot of that was spent looking out at the vehicles we could see from the window at the gate. He was so excited to read this book that we read it about five times in one day!

[Allison Hornbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for teaching ordinal words to 5. This story goes up to the fifth truck and then counts down again to the first truck. Each truck serves a certain purpose for loading the airplane making this a great story to use for a retelling activity.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple but fun story that highlights the jobs of each truck at the airport. My kids liked guessing what each trucks job might be, especially once they figured out the setting and relationship to airplanes.

[Lynnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

very cool illustrations. very few words on a page. so perfect for like 1 to 3-year-olds. My 3-year-old probably would have liked this a lot more about 6 months ago. he didn't come back to it very many times because it was a little bit too simple for him.

[Encian Pastel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, women driving trucks! (I mean finally in a children's picture book. In real life they've been there a long time.)

[Milton Louie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What are these five trucks helping?

[Sue Mosher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cool book with very simple text that introduces children to trucks that are used at an airport. (I learned something new, too.)

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short book on transportation; good for storytime crowd.

[Mister David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very simple book with large font and it would be great for toddler or baby story time.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explains all the jobs of the trucks at the airport. Mr 3 years enjoyed this book a lot. We will re-read it before we go on an aeroplane later this year.

[Kelly Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect read for truck-loving kids who are going to fly somewhere soon. A nice way to anticipate what is to come (and what to look for outside while you’re waiting to board the plane).

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Multiple vehicles used for various purposes at the airport are explained. Children will love identifying each truck. Simple and yet exciting for little transportation lovers.

[Joy Keil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Son (3yo) really enjoys trucks, so this was right up his alley!

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tries to build anticipation about different airport-use vehicles, but ends up being confusing until the ending explanations.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 different trucks at the airport.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for the young truck lover in the family.

[Danielle Robertson Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book before taking your toddler on an airplane. My son had fun spotting the different trucks we read about in the book.

[Herbie]

live it, love it, memorize it.

bonus points: takes place at boston logan airport, where i spent my formative youth, authentic illustration of workers holding dunkin donuts cups.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice transportation story for any car and aviation enthusiast.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

The trucks that are needed to load a plane and get it ready for take off. Fun illustrations through out.

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I appreciate about Brian Floca in Five Trucks is the total absence of naive idealism—it's pure, street-smart reality on how authority operates.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book when discussing trucks and different types. May be better to just have in the classroom as a book the students can read on there own. I wouldn't read this to the class as a whole.