Tractor Trouble

What do you do if your new tractor gets stuck in a ditch crossing a stream? This energetic little book will explain how using the backhoe can get you out of trouble. Then the tractor has to go to the repair shop to have a wobbly wheel straightened. The dialogue is most effective and explains Ted’s thought processes as he solves the problem. Children will love pulling the tabs in this ingeniously engineered book and will learn how the tractor’s moving parts work. Some under-fives would enjoy the book, but I just wonder if their fingers would be dexterous enough to cope with the flaps without some help. I found a couple of them quite stiff and nearly pulled too hard on one occasion!

The whole book is a very good introduction to procedural kinds of writing: I love the mini repair manual which shows in numbered stages how the wheel is straightened out using the ‘Big Thumper’. Young tractor lovers would enjoy owning their own copy of this, but it would also enliven role play in the Nursery or Reception class. (Not suitable for children under 3 years as it contains small parts.)