Roadwork

The Sunday Age

Sunday September 14, 2008

Frances Atkinson

ROADWORK

Sally Sutton, ills. Brian Lovelock

Walker Books, $27.95

By all accounts, the phenomenon usually occurs around the age of three - suddenly, earth-moving equipment becomes deeply fascinating. Little heads swivel to catch a glimpse of yellow machinery carting, dumping or moving all manner of things. Well, it is pretty interesting: all that industry, noise and digging. If you fail to catch equipment in the wild, you can always open this book. Pitched at early readers, it celebrates the mighty power of the dump-truck, grader and bull-dozer (and more). The text is limited ("BANG!", "CRUNCH!" and "THWACK!" etc) but what it lacks in plot, it makes up for in enthusiasm and great illustrations. There's also a handy list of facts in case you confuse your front-end loader with your truck-mounted crane.

© 2008 The Sunday Age

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