Axel the Truck - Beach Race

Somehow it seems like just yesterday, but with my son and daughter now being in the 2nd and 4th grades, those beginning days of learning to read are now over. And you may be able to relate – the process of each child learning to read can be very different. While my daughter took to it surprisingly fast, my son took much longer to be interested in even trying. So, in his earliest of reading days, my goal was not to have him try to read, but instead to keep books in front of him that interested him. I figured that if he kept opening books on his own volition, and if his love of books continued to grow, one day he would be curious enough to know what was happing in the pictures that he might read a few words to find out.

My son has always been very interested in all things automobile. Monster trucks were a favorite of his at the age of four (still are), so when I saw the Axel the Truck books, I knew that he would love them. I bought him Axel the Truck – Beach Race as a year-end present at the end of his second year of Preschool. In this slim book of less than two dozen story pages, Axel the truck heads out for the day and discovers a puddle he can get mucky in. He then speeds over to the beach where he races some bigger trucks (spoiler alert...he wins), and then he washes up. The ending is perfect with Axel getting all mucky again, and honestly, the whole storyline feels like how a walk with an adventurous little kiddo would go after a rainy day.

With this series being written for emerging readers, the story lines are very basic with short, simple sentences to keep the child’s attention. These books were ideal for us at the Preschool/Kindergarten age, and I highly recommend them if your child is interested in monster trucks, racing or the like. Something that was a bonus in Beach Race were the few extra pages at the back of the book that showed the body parts of a truck, as well as some shop tools on the final page. Fun learning! We purchased one more of the four-book series and borrowed the other two from our local library – more than a just few times. And with Mr. Moo having turned 7 this past Summer, he is finally willing to let go of his Axel books. Three years out of these guys…not bad! Pretty great in fact.

Axel the Truck – Beach Race by J. D. Riley

Published in 2011