Review by Booklist Review
PreS. With help from his trusty dog, Lightning, and his big yellow backhoe, Mr. Rally is ready for any digging job. Lively pictures and words follow him through a day of five separate assignments that give the story the added fun of a counting exercise. The simple, bouncy text, with a rhyming refrain that will encourage young children to chant along, describes Mr. Rally's progress from site to site, concluding with a surprise at the end of the day that finds Mr. Rally still doing what he loves best, even after turning in his backhoe. Rosenthal's illustrations, rendered in earthy greens and browns, feature stylized shapes and thick black outlines reminiscent of Wanda Gag's work. They extend the humor and activity with extra jokes: at each site, for example, Lightning finds a bone for his collection, which he buries with a wink at the story's end. Full of action and rhythm, this winning picture book, by a husband-and-wife team, will delight preschoolers who dream of their own big-engine, dirt-digging adventures. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The husband-and-wife writing team behind Trashy Town here offers a cheerful look at a day in the life of Mr. Rally, who drives a big yellow backhoe and "loves to dig in the dirt. So does his dog, Lightning!" As the authors describe this hardworking duo's agenda, which entails performing five separate jobs, the text reinforces counting skills by reiterating numbers, presented as words as well as numerals. At each numbered construction site, a pithy description of the task at hand unfolds ("Two is a drain for the rain"; "Five is a zoo, all brand-new"), followed by a rhyming refrain that conveys the heroes' joy in the work they do ("Dig up rock and dig up clay!/ Dig up dirt and dig all day!"). After each task come accolades for both the backhoe driver and his pooch ("Good job, Mr. Rally! Good job, Lightning!"); and a question that invites readers to join in the response ("Is all the digging done? No!"). Rendered in ink outlines, shaded with watercolors and colored pencil-and fittingly featuring an earth-toned palette-Rosenthal's (The Absentminded Fellow) simple, good-humored art harks back to classic picture books with the appealing old-fashioned feel of Margaret Bloy Graham or Virginia Lee Burton. The artist serves up some endearing images of the loyal Lightning, scarf tied around his neck, sniffing out and digging up a bone at each site, and an uplifting ending rewards the heroes and readers at the close of a hard day's work. Preschool boys will especially dig this book, which makes a jaunty read-loud. A job-or five-well done. Ages 2-5. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Digging is all in a day's work for Mr. Rally and his dog, Lightning. His projects include moving dirt and rocks on a bridge, making a drain for the rain, removing a load on the road, digging a hole for a pool in the school, and leveling a site for "a zoo, all brand new." Readers follow Mr. Rally as he gets to work, step-by-step, getting dressed, reviewing the big jobs for the day, and completing all five of them. And when each task is done, a peppy response follows and elicits young readers' recitation: "Dig up rock and dig up clay!/Dig up dirt and dig all day!/Good job, Mr. Rally!/Good job, Lightning!/Mr. Rally waves good-bye./Is all the digging done? No!" The final scene shows Mr. Rally at home, preparing his garden, and Lightning digging a hole, burying his five treasures in the yard. Earth-tone illustrations are created with watercolor and Prismacolor pencil. Although the vocabulary isn't controlled for a true early reader, the pace, repetition, and word choices make the book appropriate for beginning readers. The uncluttered art, catchy refrain, and focus on heavy machinery make it a natural for storytimes.-Marian Creamer, Children's Literature Alive, Portland, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Like a caffeinated Mike Mulligan, backhoe driver Mr. Rally, accompanied by his dog Lightning, completes not one but ""five big digging jobs"" in a single day. Friendly retro-looking cartoons and a spirited, rhyming text (""Dig up rock and dig up clay! / Dig up dirt and dig all day!"") take Mr. Rally through his day digging ""the drain for the rain,"" ""the pool at the school,"" and so on. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
