Reinberger Review
A story of three trucks, Crane, Dozer and Digger, who mindlessly build and build until Digger notices a flower in the rubble. Struck by its beauty, Digger takes care of the flower as the other trucks continue to build around him until finally there is no more space to build on except the strip of earth where the flower grows. After the flower is cut down Digger replants the seeds where “no big truck had ever been” and continues to care for them. This story was reminiscent of Virginia Lee Burton’s Caldecott winner The Little House. Kuefler’s illustrations work in harmony with the text. The smoky black and grayish blotches and the look of narrowed concentration on the trucks’ faces as they build the city give a sense of the harsh reality of industrialization. The bold colors of the trucks and the flower stand out against the mostly black-and-white images. The story is both sweet and sad.
-Michelle Baldini