(2) PS Illustrated by AG Ford. In their second holiday-themed ­outing (Construction Site on Christmas Night, rev. 11/18), the hard-working Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site trucks celebrate in a lift-the-flap book. The rhyming text is full of good cheer, and the richly colored wax oil crayon illustrations feature the smiling trucks decked out festively. On Christmas Eve, the gang gets busy decorating the job site, "each one...planning something great!" Six flaps (one on nearly every spread) reveal the surprises: e.g., with Crane Truck's help, Flat Bed's "load of Christmas cheer" is shown to include (under a flap) "a GIANT Christmas tree." Deliveries of a star, wreath, and presents follow; Cement Mixer and Skid Steer add the final twinkling touches. Rinker and Ford's winning formula captures "TRUE Christmas cheer": "a time to gather, give, and share-- / a season filled with love and care."

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) PS Illustrated by AG Ford. Bulldozer, Crane Truck, Excavator, Flatbed, and friends (from Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site and others) roll up to their riverside demolition site where a rickety building needs tearing down. Crane Truck starts things off with his wrecking ball ("KA-BOOM!"), after which each team member, in a series of smashes, helps to bring walls, windows, and beams to the ground. These trucks are not simply breaking pipes and mashing bricks; they make sure to conserve bits and pieces for future construction. "Now everything gets sifted through / to be reused for something new." Ford's soft and textured oil crayon illustrations range from double-page spreads to smaller panels and vignettes--all according to the size of the trucks' task at hand. The sweeping cityscape views across the river show a sky that has moved from a peachy orange sunrise to a starry midnight blue. At last, the final spreads return to the familiar cadence of bidding goodnight to these hardworking vehicles. Rinker's couplet rhymes are peppered with the satisfying sounds of the building coming apart--"Crumble! Crash!"--while maintaining a rhythm that can be read aloud with ease and enthusiasm.

Reviewer: Grace McKinney | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) PS Illustrated by AG Ford. Return to the world of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site with the same dedicated trucks and action-packed rhymes--now with holiday cheer. The smiling construction trucks each find a Christmas gift from the crew, and thanks to the trucks' efforts, the fire trucks have a star-bedecked new home for Christmas Eve. The characteristic illustrations (now done by Ford) in wax oil crayon consist of bold lines and plenty of color.

Reviewer: Colleen Shea | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(3) PS Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. This time, the Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site vehicles had better stay awake: they must build a complicated structure--STAT. Fortunately, their call for reinforcements results in a galvanized (in both senses) team. Buoyant rhymes are propped up by illustrations that imbue the trucks with human facial features without reducing them to cartoony caricatures. Rinker and Lichtenheld maintain their skyscraper-high batting average.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by John Rocco. A picture book biography of author-illustrator Burton focuses on her adult life as mother to two boys who love trains and trucks. The text and art are at their best when "Jinnee" is illustrating, creating lifelike scenes out of blank paper and charcoal. Rocco's paintings of the artist at work and his replicas of her illustrations are masterful. An intriguing, loving introduction to a picture book icon.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jake Parker. Two weeks before Christmas, the elves are expecting to do a quick tune-up on Santa's sleigh...but someone has totaled the thing. The gear-loving elves have a contest to see who can provide The Big Man with a souped-up replacement. Rinker's rhyming text revels in imaginative detail, and Parker's digitally colored brush-pen illustrations are up to the task.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(4) PS Illustrated by Patrick McDonnell. A mother enumerates all the unexpected ways in which her life has changed since having a daughter. Her floor is covered with toys and she is awakened much too early, but she loves her child "GINORMOUSLY." Pleasant rhyming text and McDonnell's simple cartoons join the ranks of comforting bedtime books that are really more for parents than children.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) PS Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. This bedtime story from the Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site creators is another gem powered by well-crafted rhymes. This time it's a train yard that needs to be packed up for the night, and animals are the crew: a polar bear fills the reefer with ice cream, a monkey juggles toys into the boxcar, etc. The calming midnight-blue-bathed illustrations glow as if by starlight.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. It's getting late at the construction site. One by one, the big trucks are preparing for bed. Soothing verse describes each vehicle's last task and special wind-down routine, ending with a personal message: "Shh...goodnight, Cement Mixer, goodnight." Bright-in-the-night yellows, blues, and reds dominate the thoughtfully crafted illustrations. Truck-loving kids will respond to this take on settling down to sleep.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi