Discover Trucks: Excavators Review
Discover Trucks: Excavators, written by Karen Martin, helps young readers explore how excavators work, what their parts do, and how they help build the world around us. Through clear illustrations, simple explanations, and hands-on activities, children learn by looking, naming, and discovering.
The book starts by simply explaining what an excavator does and where you might see one, then takes a deep dive into the parts of an excavator and what each part does. The author then tests readers with a picture of an excavator, asking a few questions and challenging them to name as many parts as they can.
She then dives into how big and fast (or not fast) they are, what they can lift, and the types of things an excavator can help build. After exploring a few of the other trucks that excavators might work with, the book ends with a sort of I Spy, challenging readers to find six excavators on a construction site illustration that spans two pages.
This book offers a perfect introduction to excavators for truck-obsessed children ages 3-6! The language is simple, with sentences and paragraphs brief enough to keep their attention.
I also appreciated that the author placed the excavator in the real world, explaining what it could do and build, how its size compared to cars and houses, and a few other trucks it might work with. This helped to really bring the excavator to life, and to relate it to the lives of young readers.
The illustrations were simple, bright, and clean, making them ideal for catching young eyes and interest. There were enough small details (Hey, that excavator helped build a playground!) to create some great pausable moments, but not enough to pose a distraction.
The author managed to strike a perfect balance between education and interaction, which is exactly what I was looking for when my daughter was this age!
Overall, this is a fun book with bright illustrations that kids and adults alike are sure to enjoy. You can find Discover Trucks: Excavators on Amazon.
Discover Trucks: Excavators Author Interview
Want to learn more about author Karen Martin? I did too! She was gracious enough to field a few questions and share what’s next for her!
Deb: Discover Trucks: Excavators offers a fun exploration of one of children’s favorite construction trucks. What inspired you to write it?
Karen: Honestly, it was our unborn son. We wanted to create something he could enjoy growing up, and later on know that his parents made this book for him.
I also grew up really fascinated with trucks and big machines, so choosing trucks felt natural. We’re hoping he grows up with that same curiosity and excitement.
Deb: This is the first book in your brand-new Discover Trucks series! Why do you think it’s important for kids to not only play with toy trucks, but to also learn about how they’re made and what they do?
Karen: Playing with toy trucks is great and super important, but books take it a step further. When kids learn about trucks through a book, it deepens their interest.
So when they see an excavator in real life, it’s not just a toy anymore. They recognize it, remember things they read, and get excited seeing it in the real world.
Deb: Do you have a favorite construction truck? It’s okay, we won’t tell the other trucks!
Karen: Definitely the excavator (not very surprising). That’s exactly why we started the series with it.
Deb: This book seems so well-suited to children ages 3-6, with simple sentences and bright illustrations! Do you have any tips for parents who want to make storytime with this age group both educational and interactive?
Karen: One simple tip might be to pause and ask questions while reading, like asking kids to point to parts of the excavator, or asking what they think it does next. It keeps them engaged and helps them actually remember what they’re seeing.
Deb: You’ve written a lot of other children’s books, including an entire series highlighting different dog breeds! Can you tell us what initially inspired you to start writing children’s books and what your journey has looked like over the years?
Karen: We started with animal books because we noticed a lack of high-quality, short children’s books about animals, especially ones that were simple but still informative. I also grew up with dogs my whole life, so creating a dog breed series felt very natural.
There’s so much kids can learn from dogs, and learning about different breeds helps build curiosity and empathy early on.
Deb: What’s your vision for the future of your writing? Do you have more books in the works? Or any upcoming projects you’re excited about?
Karen: Yes, for sure. After launching the Excavator book, we’re already working on more construction trucks for the series.
We plan to keep creating books because we genuinely enjoy it, and we know other parents and kids get value from them too. Plus, it helps with bills and baby stuff, which doesn’t hurt either.
Thanks so much for joining us today, Karen!
You can follow Manolo and Karen’s printing press, Gazelle Children’s Books, on Facebook, and pick up your own copy of Discover Trucks: Excavators on Amazon!
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