Dumpy at School - Hardcover

Julie Andrews Edwards; Emma Walton Hamilton

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786806109 ISBN 13: 9780786806102

Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children, 2000

Synopsis

Dumpy accompanies Charlie to his first day of school when the lovable dump truck is enlisted to help build a new playground, and boy and truck find reassurance as newcomers in their companionship with one another. 100,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

Dumpy's back! The beloved little truck, saved from rust and weeds in Dumpy the Dump Truck, the first team effort of Julie Andrews Edwards, Emma Walton Hamilton, and Tony Walton, is shined up and ready to tackle his first big job off the farm. And it just so happens that today is a big day for his young friend Charlie, too. It's Charlie's first day of school. Dumpy has bubbles in his radiator, and Charlie feels his stomach flutter as they each think about what lies ahead. Will they succeed? Will people make fun of them? As it turns out, both Dumpy and Charlie do quite well. Charlie makes some new friends, trades sandwiches at lunchtime, and wins the respect of all when the kids realize it's his dump truck that's building the new playground. And Dumpy, after feeling a bit puny and insignificant next to the huge yellow and black monster machine, saves the day when Steady Gus the School Bus breaks down.

Julie Andrews Edwards is the author of the The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles and Little Bo: The Story of Bonnie Boadicea and, of course, the star of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. Dumpy at School, the second in the series about a little engine that could, will be welcomed with open arms by children who have a touch of first-day butterflies. (Ages 4 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 2-These two predictable stories are filled with anthropomorphic trucks and tractors beeping and grinding in colorful onomatopoeia. In Dump Truck, Dumpy is destined for the junkyard until Charlie and his grandfather intervene and lovingly return him to his former shiny red glory. In School, Charlie is nervous about his first day at Apple Harbor Day School, and Dumpy is nervous about his first day on a playground building crew. They each have a trying time, but a happy ending is in store when the school bus breaks down and Dumpy lends his services as a makeshift replacement. Walton's illustrations are unusual in that the faces of the vehicles are more carefully rendered than those of the humans. Charlie and his grandfather are inconsistently portrayed, and sometimes seem out of focus, but Dumpy is always clear and appealing. Slight story lines and uninspiring art make these titles additional purchases.
Martha Link, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0786806109
• ISBN 13: 9780786806102
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Tony Watson