Kid Konnection: Dump Truck Duck

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week I'm going to share with you a cute new picture book that's perfect for kids who love trucks and animals.

Summary: Dump Truck Duck honks and zooms and steers his dump truck all through the day, helping the other hardworking ducks build a new park. With adorable illustrations and playful rhyming text, Dump Truck Duck is certain to become a new read-aloud favorite! -- Albert Whitman

DUMP TRUCK DUCK by Megan E. Bryant and pictures by Jo de Ruiter is an adorable picture book aimed at toddlers... especially ones who like trucks. This book features Dump Truck Duck as he works with other truck-driving ducks to build a new park. After his work is complete, Dump Truck Duck gets to be a typical duck for a bit before he drives off into the night!

I thought DUMP TRUCK DUCK was a very fun book -- one that is certain to entertain kids who enjoy the sights and sounds of trucks and construction work. This picture book has rhyming text that is easy-to-read and fun for both the reader and listener. There is enough repetition that little ones should know what's coming next!

In addition to the fun prose, the illustrations are just too cute! I don't know much about art, but they kind of look like watercolors with their pastel hues. The pictures of the ducks are just precious and there are many fun details on each page. I am pretty certain that many kids will love the trucks, mud, and trash!

DUMP TRUCK DUCK is a great picture book that is certain to appeal to a wide variety of toddlers! Highly recommended!

I am so glad to welcome the author of DUMP TRUCK DUCK, Ms. Megan E. Bryant, and the illustrator, Jo de Ruiter, to Booking Mama today. Like many authors and illustrators of picture books, these two didn't meet while creating DUMP TRUCK DUCK. However, they have "met" virtually and they have even interviewed each other! How fun is it that they decided to share it as part of their blog tour?

Megan E. Bryant and Jo de Ruiter Interview Each Other
Jo de Ruiter and I live a world away from each other and most likely never would have crossed paths if not for DUMP TRUCK DUCK--and I'm so glad that this book brought us together! Traditionally, authors and illustrators don't have much contact with each other, but thanks to social media I was able to find Jo's Facebook page, where I was treated to a sneak peek of her sketch process for DUMP TRUCK DUCK. I'm lucky that Jo is not just a fantastic illustrator, she's a fantastic person, too. By interviewing each other, we learned that we have a lot more in common than DUMP TRUCK DUCK--from pets in the office to the necessity of a nice cup of tea while we work. Read on to learn more!

Megan

Jo interviews Megan
What inspired you to write Dump Truck Duck?
One of the things I always tell children during school visits is that ideas can come from anywhere--and that's certainly true for DUMP TRUCK DUCK. My daughter and I collect buttons in all colors and shapes, and about six years ago we were sorting through our button collection when two buttons in particular fell into my hand--a dump truck button and a duck button. The title DUMP TRUCK DUCK immediately popped into my mind and I thought it was so funny and unexpected. When I ran it past my daughter, who was three at the time, she laughed and laughed--and then told me to go to my office and write that book right away!

When you get an idea, what’s the first thing you do with it?
Write it down, for starters--I've forgotten great ideas in the past and there are few things more frustrating. I keep a running list of book ideas for the future; it's currently several pages long and I add to it frequently. As for actually writing the manuscript, it usually takes me a while to begin. For my writing process, I like to have a good long while to really mull over an idea. I tend to work everything out in my head before I start writing, which can take several weeks or months--or even years. But when I finally do sit down to write, it moves quickly because I know exactly what I want to say at that point.

Can you describe the place where you write?
I have an office at home which is my own little creative sanctuary. The walls are soft gray, and they're covered with poems and inspiring emails from friends and colleagues, as well as my previous book covers and a silhouette of a girl engrossed in a book. I always begin a writing session with a fresh pot of tea, and it's not unusual for me to receive several visits from our three cats, Curie, Ruby, and Rosie--or as I call them, my purring assistants.

Jo

Megan interviews Jo
Can you tell us about your process for illustrating DUMP TRUCK DUCK?
When I first read the story, I let it settle in, usually with a nice cup of tea. Then I begin sketching the characters, lots of them, until I draw something that just feels right. I live by a river, so I spent my time drawing there, with the ducks swimming by for inspiration.

What sort of research did you do for this book?
I’m not very familiar with the building site environment, so I spent a lot of time on-line researching trucks, diggers and dozers. But there’s nothing quite like the real thing. The park down the road from me in Bath was installing a skate park, so I was lucky enough to see a park being constructed first hand. That was extremely useful!

What are the top five things you need to illustrate?
• A 4B pencil
• My dip pen and ink
• My watercolors
• Good lighting
• A freshly brewed cup of tea

Make sure you check out the other great tour stops!

Thanks to the author for providing a review copy of this book.

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!