Tonka Big Book of Trucks Hardcover Book

This is my 2 y/o son's favorite book EVER! We have to read it every night and take it on all our overnight trips. Needless to say, even he has the text memorized. Yes, the Tonka logo shamelessly displayed on every truck is a bit much, but I've found this book to include the widest variety of trucks. These are displayed nicely in their appropriate "scenes", and the information on each truck's capabilities is a great learning tool. My son is so thrilled when we come across these machines at work in our day-to day life, and he couldn't wait to go to the State Fair. It's been the best money I've spent on a book for him yet, even though I wish we could skip it and perhaps read Stellaluna instead just one night.

My son has loved this book since he got it a year ago when he was 1.5 years old. I have found as time goes on he always finds new things to ask about - each page is packed with detail, but not so busy as to be a turnoff. This book has provoked alot of discussion about how houses are built, how roads are made, what happens on a farm etc. There is enough there to keep kids interested for a long time!!

My in-laws gave this book to my 22-month-old son, who loves trucks, construction vehicles and machinery, and it became an instant favorite of his. They were a bit hesitant at first about buying the book because it's essentially a big commercial for Tonka products -- every truck and construction vehicle in the book (and there are many) has "TONKA" prominently written on it. That caveat aside, however, it _is_ a great book for kids who share my son's interests -- it shows the trucks in action and explains the name and uses of each. I also like the fact that it shows both women and men operating the trucks.

I bought this book for a 2 hour airplane flight with my almost 3 year old son. He's very active, and this book kept him more quiet than usual on the flight and a 3 hour car trip. Lots of text on each page - I recommend reading only the first sentence of each paragraph on the descriptions at first. Definitely a book that continues to grow with the child (read more text the more often you read the book).

I gave this book to my son when he turned 2. Fortunately it was the last thing he opened because he did not want to do anything but look at those trucks! He is now 3 1/2 and it is still a favorite book. The pictures are big and bright and there are many kinds of trucks to delight the children. The accompaning text may be a little more than a 2 year old needs, but it is nice to be able to grow with the book.