Families with Trash Truck (book and Netflix) series fans will enjoy this leveled reader by Max Keane. The book is designated “My First I Can Read” book, meant for emergent readers to read with fluent readers (“shared reading”). The publisher promises “basic language” and “word repetition” and the book delivers on these fronts.

The story takes place on Trash Day and alternates between the experiences of Trash Truck and his friend Hank , a little blond boy with fair skin. Trash Truck (an anthropomorphized, friendly looking garbage truck) is very busy, going along his route, and caring for small creatures (turtles, rubber duckies, children retrieving balls from the road) along the way. Hank is trying to be patient as he waits for Trash Truck to arrive at his house, but the digitally created illustrations depict Hank getting more and more despondent

Meanwhile, seeing the children playing  makes Trash Truck realize he has forgotten to stop by Hank’s house. Trash Truck then goes to Hank’s house but Hank is not there. Trash Truck is disappointed, and then sad, but doesn’t allow his feelings to get in the way of his garbage collecting duties. He arrives back at the truck depot, to find Hank there. The friends decide to spend the afternoon building a robot (that picks up trash, naturally).

While adults might wonder why Hank walked to the truck depot alone, Trash Truck fans may imagine themselves enjoying an afternoon with their favorite municipal service vehicle. The digitally created illustrations are occasionally grainy, blurry, or peculiarly shadowed, but that will not discourage readers who can’t get enough of the adventures of Trash Truck and Hank. Recommended for library collections where television-based early reader titles are popular.

Deanna Contrino, SLMS
K-2 Resource Librarian, Scarborough Schools