The Book That Sang Its Way into Our Hearts

It’s called Car, Car, Truck Jeep, but I call it our special book, mainly because it’s one of the few paperback children’s books we own. The rest of our books are board books because my son is still at the “ripping and chewing” phase of his reading life. Why didn’t I buy it in board book form? Because the paper version was half the price, and I like to be thrifty.

We borrowed it from the library once, and I extended the loan so many times I decided we needed to buy this literary masterpiece and keep it for ourselves.

I try to rotate the books so we don’t have them all out at once. I keep the ones that aren’t on display in a box in the loungeroom, inside the fenced-off area near our TV. My son will stand at the gate pointing at the box and yelling, “Car, Car, Beep!”

The story is supposed to be sung to the tune of Baa Baa Black Sheep, but I usually get about five words in, have a massive brain fart, and revert to reading it like a normal story. His dad can sing it perfectly. No surprises there, he gets more sleep than I do!

This little read takes place mainly on the road, but it features parallel narratives in the sea and sky. Our protagonist is a blue car, joined by another car, a truck, a jeep, and several other vehicles.

The plot is a slow burn as we watch all the vehicles going about their day. However, there is one intense moment when a police car comes rushing past all the traffic. You can also see an ambulance and fire engine on the page, which leaves us wondering: what’s the emergency, and why isn’t anyone telling us about it?

There’s an important life lesson to be learned at the beginning of the story: before they start their journey, the cars fill up with petrol — three tanks full, naturally, in full Baa Baa Black Sheep style.

I know many of us grown-ups like to live dangerously and delay filling up until the low fuel warning indicator comes on. Hopefully, this next generation will be more diligent with their fuelling habits thanks to charming tales like this one.

At one pivotal moment in the journey, the blue car approaches a red light and is forced to stop. The light quickly turns green, and it’s on its way again. This has taught my son about traffic lights. Now, when I’m driving, he yells “Stop!” whenever we’re at a red light. It’s also taught him patience; he used to get frustrated when the car stopped, but now he understands I’m just waiting for the lights to change.

The book explores themes such as gender equality, featuring a female pilot confidently flying a jumbo jet, and family dynamics, as we see the different types of families driving in their cars.

Many different animals are depicted on the pages, giving us a chance to talk about the sheep, cows, and dogs and the sounds they make.

The story reaches a dramatic conclusion when all the vehicles go home to bed, but the female pilot is still flying her plane. All storylines are tied up, except this one unresolved narrative thread. We’re left wanting more. Where is she going? Why hasn't she finished work like everyone else? Is this a subtle nod to the possibility of a sequel?

All jokes aside, I’ve had many fond moments reading this book with my son. I’ve loved watching him grow with it, learning new words, some thanks to hearing this story over and over again.

I give it five stars… or should I say cars? 🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗

It will change the way you look at transport forever.