I bought this book for little gosling when he was around 10 months, when his grandparents were visiting – his construction engineers grandparents -, thinking that was one good way to keep them present in the conversation. We don’t use it as bedtime reading, but little gosling is very fond of it nevertheless. It’s a very animated rhyme description of how Crane Truck, Cement MIxer, Dump Truck, Excavator and Bulldozer each prepare for bedtime and doze off after a fun day of work. 

I thought the vocabulary was too advanced for 1-2  year olds, but little gosling enjoys it and he finishes the verses on his own by now. The illustrations are very playful and remind me of “Cars”. The Crane Truck going to sleep holding a tiny teddy bear and Cement Mixer taking a shower and covering himself with the tiniest and cutest little blanket are so precious. And I love the message it sends that work, however hard, is supposed to be fun and enjoyable. All machines are so happy (and tired) at the end of day and little gosling quickly picked up on it. 

Going past construction sites, we always stop and watch the different machines. He likes to look at them and recognises them from the book; he wishes they would move and when they do, he is oftentimes scared. Just today one excavator suddenly started moving in the direction where we were standing and he immediately said “bye bye” very alarmed and off we went.