20 Big Trucks in the Middle of the Street

In a lively picture book multitasking as a counting book, a truck book, and an ice-cream wish-fulfillment story, a young boy on a bike tells what happens when an ice-cream truck breaks down, blocking his street. A mail truck shows up and wants to get by, soon followed by a parade of other trucks -- delivery trucks, a crane, a truck carrying squealing pigs. The rhyming text provides commentary for sorting out the entertaining traffic jam in the double-page spreads done in clean, bright digital art: "I start to count each truck I see. / First 1, then 2, and now there are 3." As the crisis progresses, readers get to view the truck showcase from a variety of perspectives, from close-up to aerial. The illustrations themselves contain small entertaining details to follow from page to page -- a dog in a baby carrier, a girl who loses her balloon. When there are twenty trucks piled up, the boy concocts the ultimate solution, which involves the crane, clears the traffic, and means the boy can finally enjoy some (well-deserved) ice cream. julie roach