The Good Night Airport

As the sun sets on an airport, maintenance and support crews wake up and get to work. With echoes of Richard Scarry, a variety of animals cheerfully operate the lavatory truck, the tow tractor, the runway cleaner, and other vehicles that keep the planes running smoothly. Rhyming couplets add to the upbeat feel of the text, though at times the rhythm feels a bit stilted when vocabulary terms such as tarmac, asphalt, and stabilizers join in the phrasing. Colorful images helpfully support a basic understanding of how each vehicle operates. Airport enthusiasts will note that these vehicles are not really specific to nighttime-fuel trucks, catering trucks, and belt loaders operate all day for nearly every flight-but the acknowledgment that multiple shifts of hard work are needed to keep a major airport running is perhaps reason enough for the overnight setting. A perky read-aloud option for young vehicle fans and their grown-ups who are ready for something besides the usual garbage trucks and excavators. -- Elisha Brookover * Booklist *