Cover Image: Whizzy Wheels Academy: Dylan the Dump Truck

Whizzy Wheels Academy: Dylan the Dump Truck

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Simple pictures and a simple story. Will appeal to young kids.

Was this review helpful?

Whizzy Wheels Academy: Dylan the Dump Truck by Peter Bently is a grate book for kids. The illustrations are fun and captivating. A child would not get bored reading this book.

Was this review helpful?

My car-crazy two-year-old is the target audience for this cute book about paying attention. He loved the illustrations, which are colourful, sweet and child-friendly.
What I liked about the story was that it clearly showed why we need to pay attention and that we can ruin the work of others or even put them in danger, if we fail to focus on the right thing. For a young child like mine, a bit more repetition or a few catchphrases could have made the story clearer. It might also have been helpful to show a few tricks how to concentrate better on the task.
The characters were adorable and I would love to see the other titles in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and QEB for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?

This book is great for multiple ages of readers. My kids age 9 and 6 both loved this book. I also used this to ask comprehension questions within my speech groups. The kids loved the illustrations and fun theme.

Was this review helpful?

This is a cute story about Dylan the Dump Truck, a sentient truck that seems to have an attention issue. While he is being taught about his various jobs and responsibilities, he does not pay attention and actually causes problems for other vehicles that he is supposed to be helping. In the end, he saves the day, because he did observe a problem. My grandson enjoyed the story because he likes trucks and he also thought it was funny when Dylan didn't pay attention. He didn't seem to understand that Dylan's inattentiveness caused problems. He liked that at the end Dylan saves the day. When asked if we should read it again, his response was "maybe not" and we moved on. Not sure if this is one I would recommend, but perhaps in a pre-school setting, it might made a cute read aloud followed by a discussion about paying attention to what we are doing. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to #netgalley for providing this book for our review! This is a great book about the importance of listening to a teacher. This can be a struggle for little ones so it was fun to see an example of how someone can help others when they pay attention and see a problem.

Was this review helpful?

Lovely illustrations and the characters are ok, I get what the story is aiming for but I just couldn’t enjoy reading it to my little ones. I found it a bit basic and not entertaining almost patronising in its humour. My little one however, did enjoy it but I think that was because of the construction vehicles

Was this review helpful?

Read this book 3+ times in a row, which is the ultimate compliment from a toddler's attention span. Good combo of teaching about the importance of listening, while still being a fun story.

Was this review helpful?

This book tells the tale of a dump truck name Dylan who has a very hard time focusing and is easily distracted by the world around him. He is on a busy construction site where it is crucial that rules be followed precisely and instructions be adhered to exactly for the safety and well-being of every worker there.

Dylan has to learn that there are expectations for him to perform correctly and boundaries that he is not to cross. His lack of attention and poor listening skills may result in needless risks and be a danger to not only himself but to those working with him.

He must learn to pay attention and concentrate on the orders he has been issued. But is Dylan capable of doing that? Does he finally learn and prove that being absent minded is not a good thing and everyone on the work site is entitled to his best team effort of getting the job done safely and without incident. It is a great life lesson to teach little ones at an early age.

The metaphorical illustrations are simple, cartoon-like and kid friendly and the message is positive. Dylan is a role-model for taking responsibility for your own behaviour and in so doing changing it to make you a better person.

Was this review helpful?

"Whizzy Wheels Academy: Dylan the Dump Truck" by Peter Bently is a fun, beautiful picture book for kids. It connects with kids as it depicts a construction site with different trucks. The focus is on Dylan the dump truck. He has problems focusing and becomes easily distracted. With some effort he is able to save the day when he sees a crane who is about to fall.

There are some great lessons here to teach kids and the illustrations are engaging. This is a great book for toddlers ages 2-4 years old.

I received this eBook free of charge from Quarto Publishing Group – QEB via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I did not receive any fiscal compensation from either company for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

Was this review helpful?

Now I know a young lad who would love this book! Whizzy Wheels Academy: Dylan the Dump Truck
by Peter Bently. I found this gook fun to read fun to read and is aimed at toddlers and preschoolers.
It full of great Illustrations throughout of all different kinds of Trucks etc. It's simple and colourful.

"You meet Dylan ........the dump truck - Whizzy Wheels Academy's latest recruit!
As you follow him around you learn about his important his job role as a construction vehicle especially what his job entails. Throughout Dylan's journey he learns all about himself and his capabilities. What Dylan overcomes challenges and learns a valuable lessons within this book in this delightful picture book."

Big Thank you to NetGalley and QEB Publishing for providing a digital ARC.

Was this review helpful?

This book is aimed at toddlers and preschoolers. Young listeners will learn about Dylan's adventures on the work site. Dylan is eager and enthusiastic but...he does not always pay attention and sometimes hears something other than what is said. Will he be able to find his place on the work crew? Young listeners will find out in this story! The illustrations bring the vehicles to life and will undoubtedly appeal to children who like Thomas the Tank Engine.

A note...I had wondered when reading this book if there would be something explicit about Dylan having a learning disability but there really was not. Nonetheless adults could use the book as a jumping off point for discussion.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

My nephew is named Dylan which is why I originally wanted to read this. It's a simple book geared toward young children, but it has a wonderful message.

Was this review helpful?

The illustrations are adorable! A wonderful lesson for both adults and children about the value of listening and paying attention. I read with my 5.5 year old and he enjoyed reading about Dylan being a helper!

Was this review helpful?

Cute little story with even cuter illustrations. Dylan is a great character.
Little boys, especially, would like this book.

Was this review helpful?

Dylan is a semi truck attending Whizzy Wheels Academy. He is a young truck who, along with his friends, is learning under the direction of Rusty the pick up truck. Dylan struggles to listen to his teacher because other things in the construction area are distracting him. After several mishaps, Dylan is able to help another classmate in danger, because he WAS paying attention.

Rusty, the teacher, looked a bit frustrated and even crabby. He had little patience for Dylan. I think attention span struggles are very common for kids and they need gentle guidance, not crabby correction.

The illustrations have a similar feel to the vehicles in the movie “Cars”. They aren’t quite as colorful and vibrant and the tone and style is a bit more muted.

I think this book was just ok. If your kids like books about vehicles, I think the Otis books by Loren Long have a bit more heart and staying power.

Was this review helpful?

The vehicles were ready to practice driving at the Whizzy Wheels Academy. Dylan the Dump Truck couldn’t seem to pay attention to what was happening around him. He didn’t follow instructions and got distracted easily. He even dumped sand on Rusty when he failed to look where he was going. At last, Dylan stood still while Claire removed girders from his bed. Just as they were praising Dusty, he ran ahead. Only this time, he saved Claire instead of causing harm.

This book brings several messages to the story: following rules, listening, doing a good job and reacting when danger is seen while learning what construction vehicles do. The story is easy for children to relate to. Dylan gets into trouble for bad behavior but isn’t a bad truck.

The illustrations use primary colors and shapes. The vehicles show personalities though facial expressions.


I received an ARC from Quarto Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.

Was this review helpful?

The need to pay attention, stay focused, not get distracted and remain in the zone are phrases that most of us have heard and probably received and perhaps ignored. But the need for concentration is something that should be introduced in a child's life and this amusing book aims to do this through the actions of Dylan the dump truck as he learns that for such a large vehicle being absent minded is not really a good thing.

There is a clever usage of words when Dylan mistakes 'race' instead of 'pace' and the illustrations add to the enjoyment. Ultimately Dylan comes good and a useful lesson is learnt. I think this will appeal to the young child and make a nice bedtime read.

Was this review helpful?

I read this book with my daughter as she loves, cars, trucks and diggers so it was right up her street! I thought that the images were nice and she enjoyed pointing out the different characters but when I went to read it to her for a second time she wasn’t as interested and she would normally love a book like this, I do agree that the story was not that catchy, it had a good morale to the story but I think it is one that is only read a couple of times - it is 3 stars from me

Was this review helpful?

I am not sure if I like this book or not. One part likes the message of paying attention but on the other hand doesn't give anything to creativity. I think this would be better aimed at older children but the illustration wouldn't appeal to them at all as aimed at younger children. Whilst my 3 year old liked the illustration the message regarding concentration was completely lost on him and it did irritate me a little.

Was this review helpful?