Cranky Versus the Cat

PreS-Gr 3–In this third early reader book about Cranky the crane, Cranky and his construction equipment friends, Wheezy, Zippy, and Dump Chuck, are building a new playground in Sandbox Hills. Work stops when Cranky hears a strange sound and finds a mysterious mess in the dirt. He must figure out what’s happening and then help everyone clean up the mess so work can resume. As they clean up, they all spot the cat who’s busy disrupting their work ­doing what cats do: scratching, climbing, and napping; lunch time is the worst when the cat steals Cranky’s meal. The adorable gray cat blithely causes mayhem as the ­machines all shout, “BAD CAT!” Fixing the cat mishaps causes everyone to be ­behind in their work, and that makes Cranky very cranky. This story is about problem-solving, sharing, working with friends, and making new ones. Oswald’s colorful illustrations, reminiscent of chalk art, closely follow the story line while providing context and humor on every page. This book will be in demand by youngsters who love construction equipment like cranes, dump trucks, and cement trucks, and are eager for more picture books about them. Tran’s “Cranky & Friends” ­series is perfect for those readers.