11 Picture Books About Transport and Vehicles
I kinda never want my 3-year-old’s transport obsession to end.
The passion and intensity with which he discusses all things transport is the cutest thing ever.
Here are 11 of our favourite picture books about transport.
And I’ll be completely honest- I purchased some of these for study purposes. Because I don’t know the names of all the construction vehicles that he questions me about. Every. Single. Day.
What are the favourite picture books about transport at your place?
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All Aboad! Let’s Ride a Train by Nichole Mara and Andrew Kolb
We bought this book for Mr 3’s birthday. The book’s design alone had me shouting “TAKE ALL MY MONEY!”
It is an accordion-style book. The pages fold out to reveal each carriage and the passengers traveling in each carriage.
Amusing details abound in the illustrations so the young reader has plenty to examine.
There is also a look and find aspect to the book- readers are encouraged to look for a lost hat.
The reverse side of the book unfolds to show the landscape that the train is traveling through. An absolute hit here.
Ambulance Ambulance by Sally Sutton and Brian Lovelock
This is a fun, fast-paced read aloud from the team that brought us Roadworks, Demolition and Construction.
A crash has just been called through and we follow the ambulance crew as they attend the accident scene.
The teacher in me loves the onomatopoeia in this read. As do my kids as they love to noisily engage with the text.
Big Digger, Little Digger by Timothy Knapman and Daron Parton
This book is PERFECT for the digger-obsessed child.
Little Digger is the hardest-working vehicle on the construction site. Then Big Digger arrives. Size doesn’t count, right?
A fun read-aloud that gently explores the themes of perseverance, teamwork and working to our strengths.
I especially love the endpapers that feature a labelled diagram of all the parts of a digger. I may have been secretly studying these diagrams so that I REALLY sound like an expert when Mr 3 and I have our 49 in-depth daily discussions about diggers.
All Kinds of Cars by Carl Johanson
This is a colourfully illustrated catalogue of standard cars and vehicles, alongside wacky, imaginary vehicles.
One spread shows the standard vehicles one might find on a farm. Another spread shows rescue vehicles.
Other spreads feature zany creations like the Hip-Hop Car or the Chewing-Gum Car. Doughnut Car, anybody?
At our place, the favourite is the Poo Car. Because potty humour never gets old.
This is a book guaranteed to make Bigs and Smalls giggle.
We’re looking forward to getting our hands on the recently published companion book, All Kinds of Planes.
Mighty, Mighty Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld
I’ll admit to groaning inwardly when this book is brought to me for bedtime stories.
It is long.
But Mr 3 ADORES it, so who am I to deny him his bookish delights?
Plus I do appreciate the way it explores the themes of teamwork and friendship.
All the construction vehicles must work together to get the job done.
The roles of different vehicles are shown and explained in rhyming text.
We initially borrowed this book from the library. It was so adored that we purchased a copy for our home library.
Transport by Alain Gree
We bought this book for Mr 3’s first Christmas.
So we’ve clearly been cultivating his transport infatuation for awhile now.
One of my random life goals is to own all of Alain Grée‘s books. His vintage illustrations are just so charming.
This book takes the format of informative text. The illustrations are rich in detail and pored over in this household.
Busy Builder: Airport by Timothy Knapman and Carles Ballesteros
This is an informative text meets boxed play set meets craft project.
A 32-page soft cover book is packed with facts about life at the airport and the processes that enable air travel.
The book is housed within a box that opens up to form an airport terminal and runway.
Also contained within the box are punch-out models that you can assemble to create your own fleet of planes, complete with ground crew and accessories.
I love any activity that extends the reading of a book and this is book-based play at its finest.
Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover by Markus Motum
This is one of my favourite non-fiction texts of 2017.
The search for life on Mars is told from the perspective of Curiosity, the Mars Rover.
The informative text is paired with rad retro-style illustrations and fantastic diagrams.
If you have a little one obsessed with space travel, they need this book.
Traffic Jam by Aino-Maija Metsola
This beautifully designed board book not only explores forms of transport but is great for positional language.
The rhyming text details the position of each person in the traffic jam.
Removable puzzle pieces then create a 6-piece traffic jam.
The author/illustrator is a designer for Marimmeko and the illustrations are wonderfully bright and engaging.
BuildABlock by Christopher Franceschelli and Peskimo
We are such huge fans of this partnership and series of chunky board books.
There is a lot of construction happening in our local area.
Mr 3 is frequently testing my knowledge of construction vehicles.
So I treat this book as my textbook to improve my knowledge on the topic.
It features more than 24 different types of construction vehicles.
These books are renowned for their awesome die-cut shapes. This one does not fail to amaze and engage.
Every spread has something to lift or open. You can check out my video here.
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Some of the books in this post were provided free for review purposes. I always post my honest opinions and never post books that I do not rate.