Monster truck

PreS-Gr 1--Little Critter's friend Tiger has a new Squisher monster truck, and his dad will buy him one, too, if he helps pay for it by doing chores. But to Little Critter's disappointment, the toy store is out of Squishers! However, it turns out that his uncle has a real monster truck, and after a Monster Truck Rally, there's a surprise for Little Critter. This title is meant for shared rather than independent reading. As such, it appears more challenging than some emergent readers, but a note clearly explains the roles of both the adult and child in exploring the language together. With no more than two sentences per page, Mayer presents readers Little Critter's predicament. This is a pleasant early reader with playful illustrations and a sweet character that might already be familiar to many. VERDICT A satisfying addition to emergent reader collections for classrooms and for libraries where previous titles by this author are popular.--Gloria Koster