There are some great picture books for boys out there these days. A good one for pre-schoolers is I Stink by Kate McMullan and illustrated by Jim McMullan. The book is about a garbage truck with a bit of an attitude. At night while we are sleeping he goes around and collects our trash. One of the fun things about this book is that he makes lots of noises which makes it a great book to read aloud. Kids will have fun chiming in with you and making the noises themselves! Jim McMullan does a wonderful job with the illustrations. The expressions on the garbage truck make him look a bit ornery. In addition, the text itself changes sizes and colors to reflect the intensity of the story. Not only is the story fun, but kids can learn their alphabet at the same time! After the garbage truck has compacted his trash, he has room for more to eat. His next choice on the menu is alphabet soup. He fills himself with more trash beginning with each letter of the alphabet. But of course, since it is trash, it is not your typical nice things like “alligator” and “dog.” It is gross stuff that really appeals to boys such as fish heads, puppy poo, year-old yams, and ugly underpants.
If your boys like this book, there are several similar books by the McMullan duo along the same lines. I’m Dirty is about a backhoe loader and I’m Mighty is about a tugboat. If your kiddos are also dinosaur fans then also check out their dino books I’m Big and I’m Bad, which are equally fun.
Boyz n Books 