Big Trucks. (Mega Machines). Super Explorers (Children’s author). n.p., AB: Mega Machines/Blue Bike Books (Distributed by BookLogic), 2015. 64 pp., trade pbk. & pdf, $6.99 (pbk.). ISBN 978-1-926700-64-9 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-926700-66-3 (pdf). Subject Heading: Trucks-Juvenile literature. Preschool-grade 2 / Ages 3-7. Review by Tanya Boudreau. *** /4
	Excavators & Diggers. (Mega Machines). Super Explorers (Children’s author). n.p., AB: Mega Machines/Blue Bike Books (Distributed by BookLogic), 2015. 64 pp., trade pbk. & pdf, $6.99 (pbk.). ISBN 978-1-926700-65-6 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-926700-67-0). Subject Heading: Excavating machinery-Juvenile literature. Review by Tanya Boudreau. Preschool-grade 2 / Ages 3-7. *** /4

excerpt:

A cherry picker has a long arm with a bucket at the end. The bucket is big enough for a person to stand inside. It is sometimes called a “bucket truck” or “bucket crane.” Some cherry pickers have arms that “telescope.” That means the arm can extend and become longer. Cherry pickers are used to repair equipment such as telephone or cable lines high up on utility poles. They can also be used to repair traffic lights or for work on construction sites. (From Big Trucks)

A dredger is a machine that excavates mud and sand from the bottom of lakes, rivers and harbours. Some dredgers have scoops or buckets. Others have grabbers. Dredgers make channels for ships. Dredgers can also make new beaches for people to enjoy! Sometimes they are used in gold mining. (From Excavators & Diggers).

The male and female superheroes in the “Mega Machines” series teach children about powerful vehicles such as big trucks and excavators and diggers. These muscular cartoon machine-crusaders appear alongside coloured photographs of the vehicles. Short, detailed facts about each vehicle and excavator or digger are shown in highlighted speech bubbles or along the bottom of each page. Two to four pages are devoted to each vehicle, with the last four pages showing the world’s largest big trucks and machines. Neither soft-covered book has a table of contents or bibliography, but they do list the photo credits. The books are small in size (the cover is a little bigger than an adult paperback) and contain glossy fact-filled pages. In Big Trucks, the Super Explorers fly and pose beside monster trucks, semi-trailer trucks, fire engines, garbage trucks, concrete mixers and heavy wrecker tow trucks. Winter vehicles, such as snowplows and sanding trucks, are shown tackling the snow, and amphibious trucks are shown in the water. The facts cover the size, colour, and purpose of the vehicles. If the machines or parts have nicknames, those are included too. In Excavators & Diggers, the superheroes talk a lot about machines used in mining, construction and oil sands. Examples include dragline, tunnel borer, highwall miner, and drills. Some machines are shown on the land and some in the water. The vehicles look fascinating and powerful as they are shown on their job sites. The vehicles are shown in all kinds of weather and during all times of the day. The drivers and operators are often not shown, but when they do appear they are dressed in their proper uniform or safety gear. I recommend both Big Trucks and Excavators & Diggers to public or school libraries of any size that need new books in this popular category.

Recommended.

Tanya Boudreau is a librarian at the Cold Lake Public Library in Cold Lake, AB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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