Mighty Machines: Loaders

Askew, Amanda. Mighty Machines: Loaders. QED Publishing Inc., 2010. 24 pages. $25.65. ISBN 9781595669230.

Summary:

Loaders, buckets, and backhoes, oh my! This is terrific choice for fans of earth-moving vehicles with full-page color photographs on each page. Each two-page spread features a theme (“On the Farm,” “Mines and Quarries,” “In the Snow,” etc.) and offers a couple of paragraphs on types of diggers and what they do in that particular environment. The text is simple (Level1-2), with large font size for the text and captions and page layouts that are cleanly designed.

Curriculum Connections:

In large print, on the copyright page, readers are alerted that words in bold type “can be found in the Glossary on page 23.” There is also a table of contents and an index. These nonfiction text tools are a handy addition to this beginner level text.

Personal Reflections:

Another digger book? Yawn, I thought. But when a kindergarten student recommended it to me, I knew I had to give it a closer look. I was impressed with the design features that seem aimed directly at the Kindergarten and grade 1 audience. These are emerging readers who love to choose nonfiction books for “looking,” not usually for reading. Yet here was a book that offered simple text to accompany those great pictures.

Awards:

Age/Interest Range:

PreK-8

Genre/Themes:

Nonfiction, Vehicles (Diggers), Early Reader.

Read-Alikes:

In terms of the graphic style and level of the text, Colors of Insects (Salas) is similar. Additionally, Capstone has a series called Wild Ride (BMX Bikes by Deady, e.g.) that will appeal to a similar audience.