Clarence agrees to watch his boss's visiting cousins on his day off, but the young vehicles may be too energetic for him to keep up with -- but maybe not too much for Mighty Truck!

While I've seen this early reader series around, this is the first time I picked up one them. The title page helpfully explains how tired tow truck Clarence becomes Mighty Truck when he gets wet. (Because, sure, why not?) This story is pretty slim -- it's mostly just the younger trucks 'running' around and playing games to Clarence's exhaustion, which any adult will identify with, but perhaps not the young readers themselves.

Although this book is about vehicles, since they are anthropomorphized, they are of course gendered. Clarence is male, while it's unclear about the younger trucks. However, Hattie is female, and it's nice to see a "she" as the boss.

The illustrations are bright and cheery, adding to the lively feeling of this book. ( )

Clarence, a dirty brown pick-up truck, has a secret. When he gets wet, he turns into Mighty Truck, a shiny red monster truck who saves the day! (A bubble before the title page gets readers up to speed on Mighty Truck's origins).

Stella the news chopper is flying high above the city, announcing traffic jams and other important news. Stella is LOUD, just like she should be... outside. But, unfortunately, she's loud inside too, and it's really annoying her friend Clarence. He decides to teach her how to use an inside voice - with an unexpected result. She starts using her inside voice outside too, and pretty soon traffic is stuck. Will anyone get to the big art show? Can Mighty Truck save the day?

Colorful cartoons decorate the pages and will definitely make kids think of the popular Cars franchise. The "moral" of the story, that Clarence needs to be more tactful and not criticize his friends is a bit off - Stella does need to learn to use an inside voice and an outside voice, just at the appropriate time and Clarence was actually really nice about teaching her how to have an inside voice.

The words are interspersed through the cartoons, in occasional speech bubbles, and between bubbles. The text is bold and dark and generally stands out well. This is a guided reading level K, so about medium.

Verdict: Not particularly stand-out, but a good filler with pleasing characters and a strong attraction for kids who like cars and trucks.

ISBN: 9780062344700; Published May 2018 by HarperCollins; Purchased for the library