What a wonderful book to introduce young listeners/readers to ASL! First off, the cover caught my eye on this one. Monster trucks are simply cool...especially purple ones, and with this boy's bright, big eyes, I was hooked before even opening to the first page.

At the beginning, there's immediately a run-down of the ASL words introduced during the book and a fitting illustrations as to how to sign each one. I found this great as a quick way to re-check learned words or simply for practice. The tale starts with Dylan presenting his monster truck. His happiness glows on each page, and it's clear that he really loves his truck. Dylan's attitude is contagious and his smile is one which makes him hard not to like right away.

Dylan describes all the fun he has with his monster truck and even adds in a bit of humor. The reader meets his parents, grandma, and friends along the way, too. Every page introduces a new word to learn. The word is placed extra bold in the text with a bright color, making it easy to spot. Dylan or one of the other characters in the illustration signs the word. Arrows are placed next to the hands, showing which way the motions are to be made. It's a lovely way to weave the information into the tale without losing fun, and still, making it clear how the word(s) are to be done.

As a tale, it's a cute read as well. The text is kept simple enough for younger listeners to understand and includes sound-effects as well. The vocabulary isn't difficult and allows the ASL to slide seamlessly in.

I enjoyed reading it quite a bit and was impressed at how well the ASL is incorporated and presented. It's a book I can definitely recommend.

I received an ARC and was so impressed by this one! ( )