Editorial Review

Small children who are fascinated with big trucks will find the Machines at Work series right up their alley. One subset within the series looks at farm machinery such as tractors and milking machines, while another examines other machinery often seen on the highway or on city streets. Street Cleaners offers a look inside and outside these vehicles, showing what they do to keep streets clean, how they do it, and how they unload the dirt they pick up. Combines explains the purposes and mechanisms of farm combines as they cut wheat, thresh it, blow away the chaff, and empty their bins. Clear, colorful photographs illustrate the texts quite effectively, and labeled photos show the outside of each truck and the inside of the cab. A brief glossary rounds out each straightforward presentation, which is short and simple enough for preschoolers.