Thunder Trucks

In the capable, imaginative hands of Klein and Beebe, an ordinary evening thunderstorm is transformed into a boisterous collaboration of construction vehicles—“Thunder Trucks.” As a child with a truck blanket settles in for bed, a group of charming trucks get to work on a storm just outside. Bulldozer pushes clouds into thunderheads and Crane stacks them up; Tanker creates the rain, and Dump Truck, “filled to the brink,” brings plentiful hail. But it’s Fire Truck that really steals the show, with hoses that “bubble and spray” and beacons that shoot lightning. In a grand finale, Big Rig arrives hauling thunder, which the vehicles cheerily divvy up and release with riotous, booming glee. Boldt renders the group as a smiling, bright, friendly bunch that laughs while rumbling through the night (“THUNDER TRUCKS LOUD! THUNDER TRUCKS STRONG! THUNDER TRUCKS THUNDERING ALL NIGHT LONG!”). Back matter discusses the science behind thunderstorms. Ages 3–5. [em](Sept.) [/em]