Supertruck

Supertruck written and illustrated by Stephen Savage (2015)

There are many brave trucks in the city who go about all day long doing important and sometimes scary jobs. The garbage truck just collects the trash. Then one night a terrible blizzard hits the city and the big trucks are snowed in. Quietly, the garbage truck goes into the garage and emerges as SUPERTRUCK! He digs out the  whole city leaving all the other trucks wondering who had saved them. Meanwhile, the garbage truck just goes about doing his job.

I love the horn-rimmed glasses of the mild-mannered garbage truck and his quiet way of just going about his everyday work, leaving his super identity a mystery. I can totally hear this story being read in the voice of a big city news reporter.

Teachers, wouldn’t it be great to have a local newscaster or weatherman read this aloud to a group of preschooler or kindergarteners? Or maybe as the school custodian to be a guest reader!

You don’t have to be a teacher to find a blizzard of fun learning activities to extend the life of this book. Try these at home with your preschooler.

Cover a large mat or plastic tablecloth with dry snow ingredients (cotton balls, flour, bits of paper) or bring in some of the real stuff, and drive toy cars and trucks through the snowy roads.

Make a shoebox garage for play and storage of toy cars.

Make secret-identity glasses by taking the plastic out of a child’s pair of sunglasses.

For scribblers and writers: Plow through a cookie sheet of shaving cream for sensory fun and practicing letters, numbers, or shapes.