Bulldozer’s Big Day

The team behind Oh, No! (2012) imagines a construction-site birthday celebration that ends with a multi-story surprise. Wide-eyed Bulldozer bumps and bounces over the site, eager for the bigger, older machines to share in his birthday excitement. “Guess what today is!” Bulldozer asks Digger. But to them, it’s just another day: “Today is a scooping day,” Digger replies. “And a sifting day,” adds Dump Truck. “Sifting... sifting... sifting.” Using relief printing, Rohmann surrounds bright, gauzy fields of color with warm black lines, giving each truck faithful detailing and winning expressiveness. With each disappointing interaction, Bulldozer’s blade droops ever lower, but at the end of the day whistles blow (“Feeef!” “Toot!”), and Crane lifts an enormous birthday cake from the construction site pit, complete with glowing candles. Now readers can go back over the pages and see how Bulldozer’s birthday surprise was made (Digger was moving sprinkles, and Crane was lifting candles). The power of giant construction equipment makes a fine vehicle (ahem) to convey the outsize excitement of a special day. Ages 4–7. Agent: Ethan Ellenberg, Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency. (May)