The Wheels on the Truck product reviews

I love this book. It is of course based around the traditional "Wheels on the Bus", but is adapted to fit a typical New Zealand farmer town family - whom we all know own trucks. This story really is a country classic, written by none other than the Topp Twins. I love finding NZ themed books, as they are not the easiest books to find, but are so great for Kiwi kids to relate to.

The illustrations in this book are by Jenny Cooper. They are well done and are nice and bright - just how a child would like. This book also comes with a CD which is really cool. Unfortunately, most modern devices do not come with a CD player, and therefore I am yet to listen to it. I wonder if there is an online version people could play? Maybe even when purchasing a book, buyers could receive an online code for an online version of the CD? I just think it is such a shame to have this great resource, but be unable to use it. Especially considering I know children really do love music, and it is a great way for them to pick up new things.

Overall, I think this is a great quality book which would be good for any preschool-aged children. It is NZ relatable, and is a modern version of a classic!

This book was perfect for Mr Two. He already knew the original "Wheels On The Bus" so it was not long before he had adjusted his thinking to truck mode and was happily following along with the adventures of the Topp Twins and their animal pals. Of course, he had to do the actions as well, and even invented a few new ones to go with the truck theme. At this age, reading is very much an interactive exercise and each of the repeated sound words - swish, beep, vroom, etc - is meant to be vocalised. Just what every two-year-old loves to do!

The illustrations appealed to him just as much as the words did. He enjoyed talking about what was happening in each one and identifying the different dogs. Kiwi children grow up in a country where going to the beach is part of childhood, so he was able to follow the story - even though his own family does not own a truck quite like that featured. However, he thought that it was funny that everyone bounced around as it drove along. From an adult perspective, I was a bit concerned about the message to children when I noticed that one of the illustrations showed a dog sitting in the front seat with the humans. However, Mr Two was more concerned that the dogs in the back did not bounce right off the truck bed.

The CD that comes with the book has two tracks - one with the Topp twins singing, the other with a karaoke accompaniment for children to sing along on their own. I love the first track as it not only follows the book text faithfully but also includes the odd background comment from the Topps! We listened to it on the car CD player on our way to review it with Mr Two, so it was disconcerting when the sound of a car horn was heard; at first we thought another driver was tooting at us. It might be useful to have a warning on the label for drivers as this CD would be awesome for children to sing along to on road trips.

Unfortunately, Mr Two's family no longer has a CD player - they do not come as standard with laptops any more - but they were keen to hear the music, so wondered if there could be a download link included in the book so that people could also access it that way. It is such a fun recording, and one that I know they would enjoy. I was able to assure them, having heard it through several times myself. that it was well worth listening to.

We all liked the way that the book reflects New Zealand beach culture so well. Little touches like the cow, the manic dogs racing away with the purloined sausages, the fishing rods, the barbecue, and the canned drinks all sum up a perfect day's picnic by the water. The expressions on the dogs' faces as the twins begin to yodel are just priceless - all they are interested in is the food, thank you very much! This is certainly a book that every pre-schooler will love.