Little Blue Truck's Christmas (Little Blue Truck)

"Beep! Beep! Beep!/ December's here!/ Little Blue Truck/ is full of cheer." With a wreath affixed to his grill, Schertle's Little Blue Truck is ready for Christmas, and his tree-delivering duties let readers work on their counting skills. After five trees are loaded into the truck, various animal families claim them: " 'Honk!' says the goose./ 'The big one, please!'/ Now there are four/ green Christmas trees." Luckily, there's a tree left for the Little Blue Truck--one that glows with flashing twinkle lights on the final spread of this lively story. Up to age 3. (Sept.)

PreS--Sturdy pages and a simple counting story build up to the grand finale. The text counts up to five and back down to one as Little Blue Truck delivers trees up and down the hills, through the snow to his animal friends. He keeps the last for himself--and it lights up. The book will appeal to fans of the series, and it could also be a fun, if slight, addition to a baby/preschool holiday storytimes with the big payoff of the lit tree.--Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library