Three Grumpy Trucks

by Todd Tarpley, Guy Parker-Rees (Illustrations)

Trucks need a time-out in this board book about emotions written by Todd Tarpley ( Beep! Beep! Go to Sleep! and Ten Tiny Toes ) and illustrated by bestselling artist Guy Parker-Rees ( Giraffes Can't Dance ).

Whirr! Whomp! Grind! Chomp! Three toy trucks have big plans for their day at the digging and lifting, building and shifting. But then they start to get tired . . . and hot . . . and hungry . . . . They're GRUMPY! When they throw a total truck tantrum, will anyone be able to calm them down?

Kids (and parents) may just recognize themselves in this entertaining take on getting grouchy, and getting over it. The lighthearted, rhythmic text will have young readers chanting along, and the bright and buoyant illustrations of the trucks' looming meltdown will keep them giggling!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Transport, Storytime, Trucks, Emotion, Construction

26 pages, Board Book

First published September 4, 2018

Reviews

[Chance Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books about grumpy animals, and now a book about grumpy trucks! The rhymes are sweet, and the main character -- a kid in a hard hat -- is a girl. The trucks just need a nap, and so do I.

[Jessica Calaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 - 8 years

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My almost 2 year old loves this book. Great lesson to talk about listening to mama when she says it’s time to go haha

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for toddlers and the inevitable MELTDOWNs they experience. Teaches about how kids can get lost in fun and excitement and can overdo it.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

THREE GRUMPY TRUCKS
Written by Todd Tarpley
Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees
Narrated by Sean Duregger
Hachette Audio/Wonderbook, 2019

A child with a hard hat plays with three trucks, busy "scooping, shifting, grating, grinding, loading, lifting." Soon the trucks become obviously tired, but they don’t want to go home. They beg for five more minutes, which the child minder grants, but when time's up, they still don’t want to leave. Eventually, they grind to a halt and the child, now identified as a girl ("she"), takes them home, where they get cleaned up and everyone goes to sleep. No music or sound effects are employed in this production, but Sean Dugregger uses his voice creatively to mimic the sound of the trucks and their childlike refusal to stop their games and go home. His pitch and pacing are appropriately playful and the colorful cartoon illustrations add to the fun.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age: Toddler-Preschool
Things that go: Truck, loader, excavator
Emotions: Exhaustion meltdown

Three trucks refuse to leave the playground while they are having a fun time, even though their motors are failing, their engines are overheating, and their wipers need a change (I did snicker at this little diaper joke). With understanding and patience, the girl owner of the trucks eventually scoops their broken down bodies up and takes them home to recharge for another day. Perfect text for reading aloud with large illustrations, but I wish the gradual breakdown of the "trucks" was more evident in the illustrations.

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute, though I think it is going to be parents who relate more than the kids, the kids will just find it a cute story, which it is. I like the graphics (and I'll be honest I like how it explains about how the illustrations were done at the beginning of the book).
The pace was good and the flow of the words worked well. The plot was fun, though I'll admit I was both surprised and happy to find the owner of the trucks to be a girl, so cool.
I like the little details in some of the pictures and the word choices for some of the pages.
A good book over all, fun and I would recommend it.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three little trucks are having fun in the park. When the little girl that owns them says it is time to go, they have a temper tantrum and beg for five more minutes. How does the little girl get the trucks home? The story points out common triggers for tantrums like being tired or hungry—an excellent book to start a discussion with kids about similar situations.

Interest Level: 1st - 3rd Independent Reading Level: 2.1

Tags: Temper tantrums -- Trucks -- Toys -- Bedtime -- Stories in rhyme -- Gender Roles

[Mama Bearian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three grumpy trucks love playing at the playground, but when it's time to go, they don't want to stop! As their little girl tries desperately to convince them to leave, their grump only increases. And when she finally gets them home and bathed, they fall fast asleep, dreaming of another day of construction work.
Parents will recognize these trucks for what they really are: tantrum-throwing toddlers. However, this book offers a great opportunity for talking about BIG emotions and disappointment with little ones, and our reactions.

[L.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love that the story never actually addresses emotions, the plot instead implying how emotions can very quickly get out of control! Also love the parallelism to “one more minute” syndrome in which children invariably melt down and a parent has no other recourse than to snuggle, wipe tears, clean-up, and tuck in for a good rest ❤️ It was also a neat surprise that the trucks’ owner was a little girl, not the typical little boy :-)

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Random library shelf find and I am very impressed. It features a female child interested in construction who brings her 3 trucks to the park. They get involved playing and don't want to leave, as just about any parent you ask can immediately relate when bringing children just about anywhere fun. My 3 yr old asks for this story on repeat. I really like how it talks about how over time our emotions can get the better of us if we don't take care of ourselves and leave when we need to.

[Cassidy Cornblatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute rhyming book about toy trucks that don’t want to stop playing and go home when their child owner tells them it’s time to go. It’s essentially a story about kids who don’t want to listen to their mom to stop playing but written so kids can understand the other side of the situation. There is also a reveal that the trucks’ owner is a girl, playing into the mom metaphor, but it seems unnecessary as a reveal rather than just having her be clearly a girl from the beginning.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bright, colorful, with plenty of wonderful zooming, crashing and bashing noises and even a mechanized tantrum. I would have given this another star except that these aren't three trucks. These are one truck, one loader and one excavator!

I know that sounds picky but small equipment fans are going to notice this - along with wives of engineers who worked for construction equipment companies!

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, I know this book was written for children, but in my mind it was written for moms and really for everyone, because it shows that if we just work and work and work and never rest and never take time to rejuvenate they will eventually break down. I think that's a lesson that everyone needs to learn.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually a pretty good book for toddlers who are into trucks and truck type vehicles. This book had a read to you option which was cool. Basically, 3 little trucks who don’t want to go home and the little girl has to gentle parent them into agreeing. I think it has a pretty good lesson and the illustrations were very cartoonish and fun. Overall, would recommend for ages 2-5 maybe.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three little trucks are very engrossed in what they are doing. They are having just so much fun playing that they don't want to stop!

What I really like about the book is the way Tarpley subtly addresses the fact that the trucks are having a tantrum.

[L'Wanda Greenlaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three little trucks have a play date at the park, but when their owner says it's time to go, they begin behaving like toddlers with the all familiar "No!" Lyrical descend make this a fun read aloud & if you look closely, the illustrations tell a story of their own.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want a book that is a perfect allegory for your toddler's meltdown? This is it! These trucks don't wanna stop playing! But they are so exhausted. Perfect for your kid who has a perpetual case of fomo and won't stop can't stop.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/8/2019 ~ I liked that the human protagonist was a girl, but I would have preferred that that be revealed visually before the surprise pronoun late in the story. I could see this story as a valuable conversation starter between a parent and toddler about getting overtired.

[Orion Kopf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute but my mom didn’t appreciate how the book sort of tried to subvert gender roles by having a girl play with trucks (including a big reveal) but then made her a mom, essentially, nurturing grumpy trucks

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't my favorite.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three grumpy trucks are not ready to finish digging, hauling, etc.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jill does a great story time. And I like grumpy things.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that it's a little girl who is playing with trucks, since it's usually a "boy subject."

[Linda Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

toddler storytime

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three trucks are playing in the sandbox when their little girl tries to say it's time to go. But the trucks repeatedly demand more time.

A darling allegory on trying to get tired toddlers home.

[Dina · Rating 2 out of 5]

My rating says it all.

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little long for storytime.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 2 year old gives it a 5, I give it a 3.

[Esben · Rating 1 out of 5]

Omg. CRIED. “Sad!”