I Am a Backhoe

"Dig, dig, dig. Lift, turn, tip.
I am . . .a backhoe."

In spare text and vibrant illustrations, a little boy pretends to be a bulldozer, a crane, a dump truck, and a roller. And finally, he parks on the couch with his father for a quiet moment.

Customer Reviews:

This wonderfully imaginative, but realistic story will thrill any preschooler who is a truck lover! Vrooom!

By D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" - March 31, 2010

A little boy scootches down to the ground curling his hand to dig up some sand. He concentrates as he releases it back to the earth. "I dig my hand into the sand, / my scooper hand. / Dig. Dig. Dig. / Lift, turn, tip. / I am . . . a backhoe." It's hard work to imagine you are a backhoe. Next he gathered up an assortment of toys to push and plow them into a heap in front of him. It's necessary to get your body parallel to the ground and get as close as you can. Vroooom! A bulldozer needs to work hard. It's time to get up on his feet to work.

I stretch my arms
into the sky,
way up high.

Bend, hook, lift.
Swooooshhhh.
Swing. Drop

I am . . . a crane truck.

This wonderfully imaginative, but realistic story will thrill any preschooler who is a truck lover. If you've ever watched your own child hard at play, you can only imagine what is going on inside his or her head. The vibrant illustrations in this book leave... read more

I Am a Backhoe

By Susan O'Dell - January 11, 2013

Grandson loves construction equipment and was excited to receive this book and have someone read it to him. It has gone back home with him to be reread many times I am sure.

Great book for toddler boys!

By Daniel & Rebecca - November 12, 2012

Our 2 year old son has loved this book since we discovered it when he was about 18 months old. The artwork is simple yet skillful, with attractive bright colors. The pictures tell the story, but the simple rhythmic text adds to them. On one page, a little boy is pretending to be a certain truck, and when you turn the page, you see a picture of the truck. Our son loves trucks, and this one is one of his definite favorites. He asks to read it over and over, multiple times a day. It would be a very appealing book for most toddler boys!