Dumpy the Dump Truck

Mother-and-daughter team Edwards (Little Bo) and Hamilton chronicle the fairytale transformation of a neglected dump truck into a four-wheel wonder. Idealistic young Charlie cannot bear the idea of junking Dumpy the Dump Truck in order to make way for the new barn, and his grandfather, Pop-Up, agrees: ""When I ran this farm, Dumpy did everything. And when something broke, you fixed it. You didn't just throw it away."" The pair gussy up the vehicle, reappoint his leather seats, give him a shiny new coat of paint and, just under the wire, get his engine running. The book, with its retro look and feel, harks back to times when townspeople knew one another's names and things were not so disposable. Walton, a Tony Award- winning set designer, fills in the details of the seaside town, complete with a lighthouse, dirt roads and a tall church steeple. He gives the farm trucks just enough personality to support their signature refrains (""All in a day's work,"" says Trundle the Tractor; ""Two hands are better than one,"" says Bee-Bee the Backhoe). Authors and artist create a community working together, and may well leave readers with the idea that some things are meant to last. Ages 3-7. (Sept.)