The Little Yellow Digger & the Bones

Betty & Alan Gilderdale (text/illus)

Scholastic, Australia: 2010

ISBN: 9781869438999

Genres: adventure, picture book

The Little Yellow Digger is being useful, as always, and helping some friends clear away a landslide after heavy rain.

Working his way towards a cave, there's a huge thud - and the little digger's driver realises that together they've discovered a huge fossilized bone. People are summoned from the museum and after much excitement, it's recovered and restored and put on display.

This delightful story combines two of the most common passions of youngsters - boys in particular: machines and dinosaurs. Written in unforced rhyme that will instantly appeal to children, an capturing the excitement they feel when watching mechanical diggers, The Little Yellow Digger series is a perennial favourite. The illustrations are clear, if unremarkable, but realistic enough to please toddlers.