Adurable: Little Pups in Big Trucks

by Bob Shea, Brian Won (Illustrator)

Introducing an irresistible new board book series filled with cute pups, big construction trucks, and laugh-out-loud humor!

It’s the first day of puppy school and Dig Doug, Puddles, and Cheddar can’t wait to start digging, building, and loading in their trucks. But when their teacher, Miss Polly, gets stuck under some rocks, they’ll have to come together and use teamwork to get her free! Closing their eyes to make the rocks disappear doesn’t work . . . so which of Miss Polly’s lessons can Dig Doug, Puddles, and Cheddar save her? Beloved children’s book author Bob Shea and illustrator Brian Won have created an endearing new board book series with the cutest construction workers around.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Animals, Transport, Childrens, Juvenile, Construction

32 pages, Board book

Published June 7, 2022

About the author

Bob Shea has written and illustrated over a dozen picture books including the popular Dinosaur vs. Bedtime and the cult favorite Big Plans illustrated by Lane Smith.

His characters and animations have appeared on Nick Jr, Playhouse Disney and PBS Kids.

Bob spends his days writing, drawing and having “conversations” with NPR.

Reviews

[Kelly]

It's cute, but I'm not sure why they put it in board book form instead of picture book form. It's a lot of text for a board book. It is very Bob Shea with lines like "Cheddar cannot tell time. Cheddar is guessing." So it's got his humor.

[Amity · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a little long for a board book, but it's so cute and funny that I still loved it. Cheddar knowing it is snack time - despite the fact that she can't tell time - is extremely relatable, as is "let's close our eyes so the problem doesn't exist anymore." Also, the constant Chicagoland construction would be much less irritating if the construction workers were cute doggos. 4 adurable pups out of 5.

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack borrowed this book from the Ashland Public Library.

I picked it because he loves Paw Patrol and dogs, so I thought cute puppies in trucks would be a hit. I was wrong, at least on first reading. He mostly wanted to run around and ignore me. The plot was kind of random and made the puppies look silly, but they were cute. I have to wonder if the author is a fan of Brooklyn 99, or vice versa, because they both have a corgi named Cheddar in them.

[SBC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute pictures and story of 3 puppies on their first day of puppy school learning to drive their big trucks and trying to figure out how to help Miss Polly.

I thought my son (a 3 year old who loves construction vehicles) would like this book but he had no interest in it. Reading it, I thought it was kind of pitched at adults (to go aww! and understand the tongue-in-cheek humour - the pun 'adurable' being a case in point).

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Polly's jeep is stuck under some big rocks and it's up to three little puppies to rescue her. A sweet story with plenty of action and a comforting message about working together to solve a problem. Little ones who enjoy vehicle / construction themed stories will appreciate this colorful board book.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute, so silly. And with some Bob Shea signature tongue-in-cheek funniness that gives me the actual LOLs. ("Cheddar cannot tell time. Cheddar is guessing.") Won's illustrations amp up the cuteness and I also appreciated the pup's grit in trying different solutions when the first didn't work. (And Miss Polly's gentle guidance.)

[Andrés · Rating 2 out of 5]

How did all those rocks get into Puddle's dump truck in the first place, before spilling on Miss Polly? The plot is a little wimpy on this one, and the drawings are so-so. The puppies are still cute. The absolute Adurable-series power rankings:
1. Book 2 - This Pup is Stuck!
2. Book 3 - The Great Truck Switcheroo
3. Book 1 - Little Pups in Big Trucks

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's dogs and trucks. So of course it's fun for a storytime audience.

My only issue is I wish it was in a BIG book style (ala how you can get Sheep in a Jeep sometimes). It is very reminiscent of that. Only with dogs. And trucks.

[Francis S. Poesy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable board book with Bob Shea's trademark humor and Brian Won's cute construction puppy illustrations that are sure to appeal to young truckophiles and pupophiles.

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pups in big trucks help free Miss Polly from the rubble on the first day of school.

[Janet Weber · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was longer than I had expected and it had a smaller font size than I had expected, but I'm sure little truck lovers will like it.

[Reece · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes me laugh literally every time I read it.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three silly puppies learn to use their heads to solve a problem in this goofy story that will appeal to young kids who love construction equipment.

[Darius Billings · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like that the puppies have a toy blue dump truck.

I like that they found a giant rock. In fact, it’s just a rock.

I wish they had some rescue vehicles in the book.

[bell1691 · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son loves this book because of the trucks but I wasn’t the biggest fan haha. I didn’t like the written part of the book so I just make up my own storyline. Pictures are cute though.

[Jess Kirvida · Rating 4 out of 5]

You cannot convince me that this book isn’t AI written, so much of this book does not make sense. That being said, it is my 2.5 year old’s absolute favorite book so I have to give it a solid rating.