The Grumpy Dump Truck

by Brie Spangler

This dump truck has a bad attitude.

It's not easy being a dump truck, hauling heavy dirt from one place to the next. All that work has made Bertrand decidedly grouchy. But when he meets Tilly, a cheerful porcupine construction worker, Bertrand’s attitude begins to change. Can this grumpy dump truck learn to be nice?

Brie Spangler’s hilarious new picture book is perfect for little truck lovers!


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Emotion

40 pages, Library Binding

First published July 14, 2009

About the author

Author/illustrator of children's picture books and YA novels, Brie Spangler loves to draw and write stories and drink massive amounts of caffeine, but not quite Dave Grohl "Fresh Pot!"/require hospitalization levels. Writing down the ideas in her head was scary as a kid, so she turned to making pictures instead. Brie worked as an illustrator for several years before she began to write and immediately became a frothing addict. BEAST is her debut novel. Hit her up on twitter! @BrieSpangler

Reviews

[Rochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book! My son, who is most decidedly not a reader, asked to read the book again in the same sitting - AGAIN!
And any book with the phrase "good gravy" is a winner in my eyes! :)
Great job, Brie!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Works on all levels -- subject matter, writing, artwork.

[Gustavus Cliffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the understanding that there is a cause of people's negative moods - even chronically negative ones.
I disliked that all the dump truck's problems were fixed by someone else taking the initiative. In our recent society there has been an accidental insistence that we are victims to our emotions and require rescuing. The line hasn't been drawn clearly between how great it is that a friend offers us support, and the fact that it isn't the friend's job to fix our moods.

In online forums I've seen this become issues when parents post saying, "I taught my son to always be kind and to be friendly to the loner kid in the class ... but now the loner kid is clingy / socially isolating / etc." These issues happen because we teach kindness but not boundaries, which is a truly kind thing to introduce misfit children to.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My four year old, who tends to resemble the main character, loved this book and wanted to read it again and again. ;-)

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of dialogue mixed in with the story. Colorful and a nice story.

[Beth Given · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute illustrations and funny, silly writing. I thought this would have a moral like The Pout-Pout Fish (another favorite around here) -- namely "stop being grumpy and decide to be happy!" -- but it turns out that the take-home message was actually about being patient and kind to others, even when they're grumpy. You never know what kind of burdens they might be carrying (and sometimes the grumpy one doesn't know, either!). I liked that.

My five-year-old picked this out and we all enjoyed it.

[Caleb · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the title, and the drawings of the main character, and the way he was a jerk to everyone, but the resolution was a little contrived and unrealistic (Er, for a book about an anthropomorhpic dump truck, anyway).

Plus, "The Happy Dump Truck" doesn't rhyme! If he loses his grumpiness, what makes The Grumpy Dump Truck himself?

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this one to myself, and again to the girls. More enjoyable as a readaloud...may not work with a large group. Bertrand the dump truck is very cranky...until an accident reveals the reason for his bad mood and is alleviated. Alls well that ends well.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way the words are arranged (in word bubbles instead of as narrative) make this a difficult read aloud. The kids enjoyed it, though, and we had a good time talking about what makes the kids grumpy.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grumpy dump truck treats all of the utility vehicles poorly until a porcupine helps him out with some tire trouble. Happy endings make me happy!

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this to my 2 year old son and my 5 year old daughter also joined in. they both seemed to like it. cute - not a show stopper, but certainly cute.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun twist on the classic tale of The Lion and the Mouse, this book is sure to appeal to younger children. It's a fun story to read aloud with all of the changing emotion in the dialogue.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the Lion and the mouse, with a dump truck!

Not a bad read, though, sometimes books with thought bubbles are hard for read alouds.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book. This would work better for a read along with a child as opposed to Storytime as the speech bubbles and story flow can be a little tricky to maintain. Overall, it was cute

[Margaret Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My two-year-old says: Good. I like the dump truck.

He does not want to let others read it because he wants to keep it--clearly a big hit.