Want to Play Trucks?

PreS-K—Two families meet at the park nearly every day, and while the moms visit on the bench, the preschoolers play together. Jack has brought several trucks with him to the sandbox and Alex has brought a doll with a sparkly pink tutu and ballet shoes. Neither child makes any judgment about the other's preferred toy; with simple ease they find a way to play with both. At one point they seem to have genuinely reached an impasse, but they eventually reach a compromise and continue to play together until they find something that they can both agree on enthusiastically. The spreads are filled with the scenery around the park, tall autumn trees, and a shadowy city skyline, while on the other pages the watercolor illustrations zoom close to Alex and Jack as they talk and play and send sand flying. Illustrations extend the story from cover to cover with the two families greeting each other on the path to the park on the front flyleaf and waving goodbye on the back. Text is simple and repetitive, perfect for a younger preschool audience who might just be learning to share themselves. Simple and tender, this book delivers a powerful message without being didactic.