What do you think?
Rate this book
The Trucker
What Leo wants is a fire truck; what Mama gives him is a kitten: Lola. To make matters worse, mischievous and high-spirited Lola just about takes over all of Leo's favorite things. Just when Leo's had enough, Lola surprises him and saves the day. Colorful, bold illustrations filled with trucks, trucks, and more trucks enliven this satisfying story of friendship.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published July 20, 2010
43 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
July 13, 2019
I am the mother in this book.
January 16, 2016
This is one of those picture books that might be more fun for adults than for the kid. The story is pretty straightforward -- my husband was not impressed -- but I found it utterly charming. It's about a boy whose mother attempts to disrupt his obsession with trucks by buying him a cat. I checked the book out for the cat, but what won me over was the mother -- from the book on her end table about "how to raise a sensitive boy" to the way she and her son talked "past" each other while she tried to engage him in conversation not about trucks, and he made it about trucks, anyway. Really fun illustrations for a sweet story.
July 18, 2017
I must have been in a grumpy mood when I first reviewed this, because on re-reading it, I find that it really works well. Something truck lovers and cat lovers can both enjoy.
November 6, 2012
My son would give this 5 stars but that's just because he's 2 and loves trucks. First, I do not like that the story cannot hold upon its own without the illustrations and the illustrations
May 8, 2017
A little boy loves his trucks but will he love the new cat? Simple but a little long so preschool and up. Love the cat.
August 30, 2018
Fun book where the boys really enjoyed. The next day we took our old boxes from Amazon and made houses and buildings out of them for the firefighters.
October 2, 2021
A little boy is obsessed with trucks. When his mom adopts a cat, she becomes interested as well. Z cute story that Elliot enjoyed.
* library book. Read at 2 years old
* library book. Read at 2 years old
December 19, 2016
Leo loves trucks. Since birth, he's been riding them over his mother's legs while she sits in her easy chair, reading about them in his favorite book, Big Rigs, and even leaving them accidentally in his mother's breakfast oatmeal.
One day, Leo's mom encourages him to take a walk, but no matter what she points out in the scenery, Leo only has eyes for nearby trucks. At the pet store, Mom sees a cat and says, "This one is pretty terrific, don't you think?" and Leo, who is looking the other way, at a firetruck in the window of Casey's Toys, says, "YES!" This leads his mother to go back and bring the cat home the next day, much to the surprise of Leo, who is merely disappointed not to have received the fire truck.
But Lola, the new cat, is a surprise in more ways than one. She brushes herself using Leo's streetcleaning truck, uses his tow truck to hang her catnip, and sleeps in the back of the dumptruck. Leo keeps trying to shoo her away, but Lola follows him everywhere - even to the bathroom! Finally, Leo discovers that Lola can be a wonderful ally in his trucking career and the two of them fight an imaginary fire and share a meal at "mom's truck stop."
From the very beginning, this book sets up some great opportunities for interacting with both the story and the adult who is reading the story to the child. The endpapers provide a colorful array of truck sounds, which appear throughout the story to enhance whatever Leo's trucks are doing at a given moment.
I also thought the way Leo uses his trucks at the dinner table - as shown on the cover - was clever and funny, and a very rich and unique way of showing just how attached to those trucks Leo really is. I also love the way the illustrations and the events of the story are so closely intermingled. In particular, the scenes that take place during Leo's walk with his mom would not be at all the same without the visual representations, because we have to see the differences in the characters' points of focus to understand the misunderstanding that arises.
A couple of things seemed slightly strange to me, but they were truly minor. I thought Leo looked like a small man rather than a boy on the front cover, which led to the first impression that this was a book about a man who drives a truck for a living. I like the actual focus of the story much better, but it still threw me for a loop. And I also wondered why Leo's mom spends so much time sitting around. Doesn't she have things to do?
Lola, though, is wonderfully cartoonish and mischievous, and I love the little details of the house, and of Leo's toys and action figures strewn about the place. This is a nice, fresh take on the somewhat stock character of the truck-obsessed little boy. I guess it was a bit stereotypical that his mother was so keen on weaning him off the truck habit, but the story was child-centric enough that the mom really just became a secondary background character anyway.
Recommended to truck-loving preschool boys, their moms, and their cats.
One day, Leo's mom encourages him to take a walk, but no matter what she points out in the scenery, Leo only has eyes for nearby trucks. At the pet store, Mom sees a cat and says, "This one is pretty terrific, don't you think?" and Leo, who is looking the other way, at a firetruck in the window of Casey's Toys, says, "YES!" This leads his mother to go back and bring the cat home the next day, much to the surprise of Leo, who is merely disappointed not to have received the fire truck.
But Lola, the new cat, is a surprise in more ways than one. She brushes herself using Leo's streetcleaning truck, uses his tow truck to hang her catnip, and sleeps in the back of the dumptruck. Leo keeps trying to shoo her away, but Lola follows him everywhere - even to the bathroom! Finally, Leo discovers that Lola can be a wonderful ally in his trucking career and the two of them fight an imaginary fire and share a meal at "mom's truck stop."
From the very beginning, this book sets up some great opportunities for interacting with both the story and the adult who is reading the story to the child. The endpapers provide a colorful array of truck sounds, which appear throughout the story to enhance whatever Leo's trucks are doing at a given moment.
I also thought the way Leo uses his trucks at the dinner table - as shown on the cover - was clever and funny, and a very rich and unique way of showing just how attached to those trucks Leo really is. I also love the way the illustrations and the events of the story are so closely intermingled. In particular, the scenes that take place during Leo's walk with his mom would not be at all the same without the visual representations, because we have to see the differences in the characters' points of focus to understand the misunderstanding that arises.
A couple of things seemed slightly strange to me, but they were truly minor. I thought Leo looked like a small man rather than a boy on the front cover, which led to the first impression that this was a book about a man who drives a truck for a living. I like the actual focus of the story much better, but it still threw me for a loop. And I also wondered why Leo's mom spends so much time sitting around. Doesn't she have things to do?
Lola, though, is wonderfully cartoonish and mischievous, and I love the little details of the house, and of Leo's toys and action figures strewn about the place. This is a nice, fresh take on the somewhat stock character of the truck-obsessed little boy. I guess it was a bit stereotypical that his mother was so keen on weaning him off the truck habit, but the story was child-centric enough that the mom really just became a secondary background character anyway.
Recommended to truck-loving preschool boys, their moms, and their cats.
November 17, 2011
Is your little one obsessed over just one toy or theme that drives you crazy? In The Trucker, by Barbara Samuels, one mother endures reading after re-reading of her son’s favorite book plus trucks at every moment from finding truck in her oatmeal to being used as a human construction set covered with vehicles. She knows that her son is a trucker at heart, but a mom can only take so much, right? Finally mom decides to take her little boy for a walk in the neighborhood intent on finding new interests. When Mom tries to show flowers, the boy spies a garbage truck. When she thinks he might warm to a new cat, he still isn’t interested. Even when the cat comes home, trucks are the star of playtime. The fun, albeit predictable, twist comes when the cat joins the boy in playing and turns out to love trucks too.
The book is fun from start to finish. It’s a delight to read with pictures of the exasperated mother sitting in an overstuffed chair reading about tropical vacations while her son obsesses over his trucks. It’s so believable and funny. Like most toddlers, my Lil Guy has his own obsessions that drive me a little crazy. (I mean, how many time can you put together and take apart Mr. Potato Head?) I think parents will giggle and laugh at the book right along with children. Especially if your child likes trucks and anything on wheels, you will enjoy this book and so will your child. Author/Ilustrator Barbara Samuels won me over with mom-approved illustrations and a story that charmed me and my Lil Guy.
Reviewed here @ my Blog: Teacher.Mother.Reader
The book is fun from start to finish. It’s a delight to read with pictures of the exasperated mother sitting in an overstuffed chair reading about tropical vacations while her son obsesses over his trucks. It’s so believable and funny. Like most toddlers, my Lil Guy has his own obsessions that drive me a little crazy. (I mean, how many time can you put together and take apart Mr. Potato Head?) I think parents will giggle and laugh at the book right along with children. Especially if your child likes trucks and anything on wheels, you will enjoy this book and so will your child. Author/Ilustrator Barbara Samuels won me over with mom-approved illustrations and a story that charmed me and my Lil Guy.
Reviewed here @ my Blog: Teacher.Mother.Reader
July 26, 2010
More than just the main story, essentially, of a boy who loves trucks and comes to love a kitty, what sets this book apart is a refreshing attention to love and growing and changing. These themes are understated but essential, lending just a hint of thoughtfulness to an otherwise humorous story of a boy's passionate love of trucks which most children and parents will relate to immediately. I appreciate the fact that the only members of this family are the mother, the boy, and then, later, the kitty. It's always a pleasure to see books portraying boys who have open affection for anything not stereotypically "boyish." My kind of truck book.
February 29, 2012
My 4-year-old grandson is obsessed with trucks, and I must have read over a hundred truck-related books aloud to him. This one, however, is in a class by itself. It's got a plot, it's got character development (human and feline), and it's not preaching. The illustrations are jolly, whimsical, and inventive.
The story centers on Leo, whose every waking moment is consumed by trucks. But when his Mom brings home a big package for him, he is devastated to find out that it contains a large marmalade cat--he was expecting a new fire truck. He wants nothing to do with Lola, but she has other ideas, and what Lola wants, Lola gets.
The story centers on Leo, whose every waking moment is consumed by trucks. But when his Mom brings home a big package for him, he is devastated to find out that it contains a large marmalade cat--he was expecting a new fire truck. He wants nothing to do with Lola, but she has other ideas, and what Lola wants, Lola gets.
April 22, 2015
This book is great! Starts as a story about a little boy (Leo) and his love of trucks. Then his mommy buys a cat (Lola) and the story becomes about how Lola loves trucks, and loves Leo and loves spending time with Leo! Leo is bothered (very much like our little reader Emerson) by Lola and her intrusion into his land of trucks. But when Lolo scales the faux burning building and saves the stuffed bunny, he realizes how much fun it can be to have a playmate as great as Lola. We are trying VERY much to learn from this one!! Poor Liz!!!
June 27, 2010
I received this through Firstreads, and found it to be a great book. The illustrations are colorful and delightful. The story is very cute. It's about a little boy who LOVES trucks and is disappointed to find his mom got him a CAT instead of a new TRUCK! It was very cute, and made me smile. Best of all, my kids loved it!
November 13, 2014
This sweet story of a little trucker had me reminiscing about my son, who for many years of his early life was dedicated to becoming a trucker. Add the cat and the story is practically identical to his own. So how could I not love this story? With adorable illustrations making the story complete, this is a great children's story.
December 15, 2017
Leo loves and is obsessed with trucks until one day his mother has enough. Leo wants fire truck but his mom gets him cat named Lola. Leo points out that she isn't a truck but the two become friends. All around cute story that I'm sure many parents will relate to as they read it to their children. I mean how many children have obsessions with certain things that get on their parents' nerves?
October 11, 2010
Leo loves trucks, and it turns out, his cat Lola does, too. I think parents of young trucker-lovers will get the biggest kick from this book. Little truckers may prefer a book that's actually about trucks.
October 30, 2010
Leo is obsessed with trucks, so when his mother tries to entice him with a cat, it doesn't seem like it's going to go well. Turns out, that cat is pretty good with a steam roller and becomes a great assistant. This is a cute book, but nothing fantastic. Most appropriate for preschoolers.
December 2, 2010
Like many young boys Leo loves trucks and more trucks. However, his Mama is not so into trucks and purchases Leo a cat named Lola. Leo and Lola develop a friendship around, whatelse but trucks. Delightful and with great illustrations.
March 1, 2011
Okay, I'm probably actually a 3.5 on this one.
The beginning is a truck book, and when you feel it reaching it's conclusion it strangely turns into a cat book. Not that I don't like Lola and Leo, but I thought we should have focused on one story or the other.
The beginning is a truck book, and when you feel it reaching it's conclusion it strangely turns into a cat book. Not that I don't like Lola and Leo, but I thought we should have focused on one story or the other.
May 11, 2011
My 4-year-old loves trucks and cars so this book was perfect for him. He loved counting how many vehicles he could find on each page. He loved finding different ways the vehicles helped the little boy Leo (at breakfast the crane squeezes the maple syrup onto the pancakes).
November 6, 2012
I was surprised to find that this book is actually quite hilarious, particularly as the mommy of a vehicle-obsessed toddler. I have to say, though, the illustrations perfectly illustrate why I do NOT want to have a cat! ;)
March 28, 2016
Silas (age 3.5) adored this book we borrowed from the library. Very cute and funny illustrations (the little boy digging In a litter box with his truck, YUP!) and mama gives the book extra props for featuring a baby wearing daddy in it ;)
February 22, 2010
I love this book! Bright, vivid illustrations - playful, gently surprising. A great little boy book.
July 29, 2010
Cute!
February 19, 2011
I love this book. The subtleties of the mom's mood made me laugh and I really liked the relationship development between the boy and the cat. very cute.
August 15, 2011
very entertaining
July 18, 2012
Pets take after their owners?
February 15, 2013
This is great. It's our current favorite from the library.
Read
May 30, 2014III
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews