[.ca] I Stink! (ISBN 0060298480)

From Amazon.com:
"I stink!" How can you not love such swagger and candor? And Kate and Jim McMullan's big-eyed, loudmouthed garbage truck really must stink--by its own admission, and given all those smelly bags it's been cramming into its huge back hopper. Most kids already love garbage trucks on general principle, and one assumes that can only go double for a sass-mouthed, animated dumper like this one, out on its early-morning rounds: "See those bags? I SMELL BREAKFAST! Crew? Get me to the curb! Lights? Blink! Brakes? Squeal! Tail gate? SAY AH!" The many opportunities for loud, large-type sound effects should make for spirited readings, and a recipe for "alphabet soup" lets young readers practice their letters, working through the ABCs from apple cores to zipped-up ziti with zucchini. The text to I Stink!, while fun, is nowhere near as clever as the art. But fortunately Jim McMullan's fun, fat drawings and type treatments more than make up the difference, loading Dumpsters full of personality into this grimacing, grinning, growling--even burping!--big rig. Kids will have a good time doing diesel-powered imitations, but even more importantly, they'll learn where they'd be without their neighborhood trash truck: on top of "Mount Trash-o-rama, baby." (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

My two-year-old's favorite book:
And mine, too. You can't beat the art and typography or the story and text. That the authors have done research and write with verisimilitude only adds to the relief and joy that you feel after having read so many boring children's books.

I Stink:
Lately, the preschoolers have gotten into the habit of saying things stink, so they loved this book. We've been telling them not to use "bad" words like stink and this book is one way to get it out of their system. They're absolutely enchanted with the idea of a stinky truck that eats stinky garbage and that talks! They find it hysterical when I pretend to be repulsed by the "stinky" pictures of garbage. Very entertaining book. Excellent text and pictures

Have you ever heard a 2 year old say Mount Trashorama Baby!?:
We read this to our 2 year old son and a couple days later he repeated it back to us! In the stroller, in the car, when the garbage truck would come on Monday mornings.....i think you get the picture! He would say the Alphabet part too! Not only a GREAT book, but also teaches something (whitout seaming to!) at the same time! We love it and the illustrations are equal to the story! GREAT BOOK - a must have for any children's library!

Favorite of boys 2-4+:
We love this book! It's a bit tiring to read aloud with all the exclamation points, but the "alphabet soup" recipe guarantees lots of giggles. This truck has attitude to spare and then some. The art is terrific. Highly recommended! (...)

Defecation: The Book:
The most testosterone laden picture book ever conceived and executed. You thought "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" was a tad bit too masculine for your kids? Then forgo the wonders of "I Stink". A rip roaring celebration of the joys of sanitation (THERE's a new word for your kids to learn!) this book follows the daily work of a garbage truck as it makes its daily rounds in the wee hours of the day. The book is so good natured in its exclamations you just can't help but love it either. And trust me, the kids will. Here's how the book begins. No namby-pamby openers for this morning vehicle. "Who am I? I've got lights. Ten WIDE tires. No A.C., not me. I've got doubles: Steering wheels, gas pedals, brakes. I am totally DUAL OP". You half expect this truck to disintegrate into a series of well-chosen cuss words, it's so certain of its own glory. Acting more like an Oscar the Grouch in garbage truck form, the dirty monstrosity exhibits its own forms of belching before launching into the ABC's of its morning diet. A word of warning: don't read this book too early in the morning. You may find yourself growing nauseous (even as your kids howl for more) reading about fish heads, ugly (stained) underpants, and year-old yams. The authors aren't squeamish about defecation either. Here we can clearly see dirty diapers, kitty litter, and puppy poo (not to put too fine a point on it). The truck then explains how indispensable he (I'm only assuming it's male, but it's a pretty clear guess) is summarizing the predicament we'd be in. Without the Sanitation Department, "You're on Mount Trash-o-rama, baby". Never thought you'd ever hear a garbage truck call you "baby"? You obviously could not have predicted this book. The authors are careful to thank not only garbage men Earl Harrington and Billy King in their opening, but also "everyone at the New York City Department of Sanitation". It is a fitting tribute, and an excellent book to offer unto them. Capped off by beautiful endpapers (displaying our friend the Garbage Truck in mesmerizing shades of deep blue and turquoise) this disgusting, smelly, filthy book is a class act through and through. Kids love it, grown-ups (that aren't prone to sickness) really get into it, and the world is a better place for it. Garbage workers rarely get their due. Now, they're not only commended for their work, but lauded as well.