Best Garbage Truck Books for Kids who Love Trucks!

Vroom Vroom - calling all caregivers and parents of garbage truck lovers, this is the post for you. Children's fascination with garbage and trash trucks is a common and understandable phenomenon. My three boys designated trash trucks as their favorite trucks for years and we used to follow them all around the neighborhood! 

Young readers will love the rhythmic text and beautiful illustrations about garbage cans, waste sorting and big trucks.  These garbage truck book recommendations are the best books for the perfect gift that will get read over and over and over!

Best Garbage Truck Books for Kids who Love Trucks!

  Several factors contribute to this garbage truck obsession:

  1. Big and Noisy Machines: Garbage trucks are large, noisy, and imposing vehicles. For young children, these attributes can be inherently captivating. The sheer size and power of garbage trucks make them stand out and attract attention.  

  2. Routine and Predictability: Garbage trucks follow a predictable schedule in many neighborhoods. Children love routines, and the reliable appearance of a garbage truck on a specific day and time can build anticipation and excitement. My boys knew that Thursday was trash day and got SO excited every Thursday to wait for our trash truck to pass.

  3. Sensory Appeal: Garbage trucks engage multiple senses. Children can see the truck in action, hear the loud sounds it makes when collecting trash, and sometimes even smell the garbage as it's being collected. This multisensory experience can be fascinating to young children.

  4. Community Connection: Garbage trucks play a crucial role in maintaining the cleanliness and hygiene of a community. Children may develop an early sense of responsibility for their environment and appreciate the role these trucks play in keeping their neighborhood clean.

  5. Educational Opportunities: Parents and educators often use children's interests as a springboard for learning. Garbage trucks provide an opportunity to teach kids about recycling, waste management, and the importance of cleanliness and orderliness.

  6. Role Play: Children love to engage in imaginative play, and garbage trucks offer a rich backdrop for such activities. They can mimic the actions of garbage collectors, driving toy trucks and collecting imaginary trash.

Children's obsession with garbage trucks can be attributed to a combination of sensory appeal, routine, imagination, and the fascination with big rigs and machines. It's a phase that many children go through, and it often serves as an entry point for learning about important topics like waste management and community responsibility.

GREAT GARBAGE TRUCK BOOKS FOR KIDS

There are several engaging and educational high quality children's books about garbage trucks and waste management that are perfect for your truck-loving toddler. Here are some recommendations:

  1. "I Stink!" by Kate McMullan - This picture book takes children on a fun and interactive journey through a day in the life of a little garbage truck. It's filled with humorous illustrations and onomatopoeic language that kids will enjoy.

2. "Trashy Town" by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha - This rhyming picture book tells the story of Mr. Gilly, the trash collector, and his trusty garbage truck. Kids will love the catchy rhymes and the sense of community in this book.

3."Where Does the Garbage Go?" by Paul Showers - This non-fiction book provides a more detailed look at the journey of garbage; from the moment it's thrown away to its final destination in a landfill or recycling center. It's a great choice for kids who are curious about the science behind waste management.

4. "The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle: A Story About Recycling" by Alison Inches - While not specifically about garbage trucks, this book teaches kids about recycling and the importance of reducing waste. It's an excellent choice for teaching environmental awareness.

5. "Garbage Trucks" by Charles Lennie - This book is part of the "Mighty Machines" series and provides detailed information about the workings of garbage trucks. It's suitable for older children who want to learn more about these vehicles.

6. "The Great Trash Bash" by Loreen Leedy - In this book, a group of animal friends organizes a cleanup day to keep their park clean. It teaches children about the importance of teamwork and environmental stewardship and is packed with colorful illustrations.

7. Count The Garbage Trucks! I Spy Book for Kids FULL-COLOR PAGES of garbage trucks had my boys in love on page 1!!  Kids will love all 19 Different puzzles to spy and count the garbage trucks.  This is such a fun book for an airplane ride or car road trip too! A perfect book for little hands with toddler learners. They can start with little eye things to spot or eye spy toddler They'll develop observational skills, learn to count objects, and they'll be having so much fun they won't even know they're learning!

8. I Am a Garbage Truck - Simple garbage truck facts in a board book shaped like a garbage truck! What is better than a garbage truck book? One shaped like a garbage truck!  This will be a total hit with your little boy or little girl!

9. The Wheels on the Garbage Truck - This is a sure fire hit with all garbage truck lovers. This board book option follows along on a silly and smelly adventure through a neighborhood!  This is part of a book series that your little one will love full of other trucks like fire truck.  

10. I'm a Garbage Truck Little Golden Book Truck-loving preschoolers will love reading about Hopper the Garbage Truck and her very important job in this fun picture book!

11. Tonka: Let's Drive a Garbage Truck - Take a ride in a garbage truck in this adorably illustrated board book with sliders and spinning wheels! Discover how important garbage and recycling trucks are in this fun, interactive board book with spinning wheels and sliders! Ride along with garbage trucks and recycling trucks as they go around town picking up trash and helping neighborhoods stay clean. 

12. Trash Truck: Meet Hank Meet Hank and his best friend, Trash Truck, as they take you on a fun adventure through Hank's small town. Trash Truck: Meet Hank is a My First I Can Read, perfect for shared reading with a child. 

13. Gus The Garbage Truck - Gus the Garbage Truck doesn’t like getting teased by his friends for being so slow. So one day he decides to be the fastest garbage truck in town. But his speed comes at a cost. This is a perfect book for boys and girls who love garbage trucks. It also comes with some fun facts and figures about where your garbage goes once it gets picked up outside your home. Great option for bedtime reading for 3-6 year olds.

14. Grandma Drove the Garbage Truck - Grandma has run the town's garbage business, and her three sons drive the trucks. But what happens when her sons are all too sick to work-and it's the 4th of July, the day of the Big Parade? Leave it to Grandma to get the town clean, with the help of her young grandson, Billy, as she embarks on a hilarious romp through town-and creates nearly as much mess as she cleans up.

15. Trash Champs and Sanitation Heroes - It’s garbage collection day! Kids are garbage truck superfans who delight in seeing these mechanical marvels rumbling down the street and waving to friendly sanitation workers doing their essential jobs. Trash Champs and Sanitation Heroes introduces little learners to the fascinating and important work of waste management, and what it takes to keep our communities healthy, safe, and clean.

16. Buster the Little Garbage Truck - Buster is a sweet little garbage truck. He can't wait to grow up to be a big truck, just like his father. Buster practices driving and lifting and beeping with his friend, Kitty. There's one small problem. Loud noises frighten Buster. When his father takes him to the truck yard to meet the other vehicles, their air-horn blasts and roaring engines send Buster skidding away to hide.

17. If You Were a Garbage Truck or Other Big-Wheeled Worker - Fans of Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site discover how big-wheeled vehicles really feel about the work they do. This raucous rhyming story puts preschoolers in the driver's seat as their favorite vehicles reveal the ups and downs of being a busy garbage truck.

18. Vroom Vroom Garbage Truck - Whoop WHOOSH whoop WHOOSH click clack BUMP! Bright and cheerful illustrations come together with a giggle-worthy variety of noises in this rhythmic tale of a garbage truck's day. The illustrations provide young children with a truckload of opportunities to practice counting 0-5 and to work on beginning inference skills. The story rolls to a gentle close, making it a perfect bedtime choice for little truck fans.

19. Fly Guy Presents Garbage and Recycling Fly Guy is buzzing over to a landfill to learn more about garbage and recycling! Fly Guy and Buzz visit a landfill to discover where their garbage goes. They learn all about garbage trucks, trash sorting, bacteria, and how landfills can be more environmentally friendly. They also visit a recycling plant to learn about how recycling programs get started, the recycling cycle, and what happens when trash isn't properly disposed of. There are even tips for how readers can help keep our planet healthy! 

20. Blippi: Vehicles are Awesome - Sound Button Book -Blippi introduces 10 awesome vehicles in this nonfiction, photographic book that includes sound buttons of Blippi speaking, followed by sounds of real vehicles! From excavators to garbage trucks to monster trucks, vehicles are on the go!  I bang and I clang! I creak and I squeak! I rumble and bump as I drive up your street.

garbage truck books for kids

Young boys and girls will love hearing all about how garbage trucks keep our neighborhoods clean in this awesome tale narrated by the garbage truck herself! 

Dont stop here - grab a Garbage Truck Coloring book and garbage truck toy to have on hand too! We love these for restaurants especially! 

These high-quality books should provide a range of options for kids of different ages and interests who are curious about garbage trucks and waste management. Happy reading! These books are a great addition to your home, preschool class or school library!  

Erin Smith

Mom of 3 sharing tips for parenting, DIY and crafts, recipes for kids, and lifestyle tips for families on the go.  

http://www.xoxoerinsmith.com
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