A Dad’s Perspective:
Greetings everyone! I’m Steve. Lydia, my wife and the creator of A Little Library, asked that I periodically do a review of some of my favorite kid’s books that I like to read to our daughter. The idea was to get a dad’s perspective on children’s literature and to cover avenues with a mutual intended goal for our kiddo and other children, but with a different approach.
Elbow Grease Book Review:
The first book I decided to jump in with is a fun little board book that is aimed more at the male demographic, but that my daughter, Ava, took to immediately. Elbow Grease is about a little monster truck that doesn’t quite have the all-star characteristics to make him noticeable amongst the crowd. What he lacks in natural born talent he more than makes up for in determination and a whole lot of gumption. It is a great little story about putting your best foot forward and understanding that it’s okay to not be the greatest at something, but rather to push forward and grow.
The story comes from a somewhat unlikely author in the form of wrestling superstar and break out Hollywood actor John Cena. It makes for a fun dichotomy; someone who is known for smashing heads can flip the script and use his noggin to reach out and inspire young kids to try new things and not give up even if they are not initially suited for a hard task.
While there is no direct influence from his wrestling ring days the book still feels like a part of Cena’s legacy. The monster trucks all have over-the-top personalities and abilities that would fit right in to the colorful world of sports entertainment, but lest he rely too heavily on his rough and tumble days, John throws in a few curveballs that show a creative mind that plays right into today’s modern world.
Elbow Grease himself is not the typical suped up car crusher we’ve all seen at the civic center, but a small electric version that must be charged nightly. The limited abilities that electric cars face in the real world comes into play during an important race when an unexpected circumstance occurs which helps Elbow Grease finish the race that many of his peers could not do themselves. It’s a great tale of someone recognizing a goal, having a huge overwhelming mountain to climb and the ability to push forward and finish strong even though others can do it in an easier and more graceful fashion.
The illustrations by Howard McWilliam are colorful and creative with each charter receiving their own signature look and personality. The secondary characters do inhabit some traditional flat traits such as the smart one, the fast one, the strong one, and the dumb one, but they build up the main character to show that everyone is unique and can excel in their own way when they dedicate themselves to a task.
The book is a decently quick read but still tops out at 40 pages. The bright artwork though holds younger viewers attention and it’s not an overly wordy read. While the story is done mostly in background narration, each of the individual characters has their own bubble dialogue which peppers in their own takes on the story.
My daughter loves playing with various cars and trucks and pretty much any wheeled toy that she can push or ride on. Because of this she stayed invested in the story the whole read, even though the book is aimed primarily for kids slightly older then her at 3-7 according to the publisher. It is also of a very sturdy construction that can take the abuse from a younger audience.
While his celebrity clout will definitely get the attention of a larger audience, John Cena backs up his image with a fun story with a lot of heart. There are already several books in this little universe such as “Elbow Grease vs Motozilla” and the “Elbow Grease Magnetic Play Book,” so there is plenty to revisit if your kids are a fan of the characters.
Thank you for letting me jump into the Little Library with the Elbow Grease book review and sharing one of my favorite books to read to my daughter. I look forward to visiting again next month with another review!
