About the Holiday

September 1^st ushers in Read a New Book Month, during which readers are encouraged to discover brand new books or books that are new to them. The holiday is the perfect time to celebrate the book birthday of a picture book that’s a little bit of both—Two Tough Trucks Get Lost!, the sweet, surprising, and a little spooky sequel to kid-favorite Two Tough Trucks.

A big thank you to Scholastic for sharing a digital copy of Two Tough Trucks Get Lost! for review consideration. I’m happy to be partnering with Corey Rosen Schwartz in a giveaway of the book. Details are below.

Two Tough Trucks Get Lost!

Written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez | Illustrated by Hilary Leung

Mack and Rig are two little trucks and “the fastest of friends” who “loved racing and chasing / and zipping ‘round bends.” One day these two went to Rugged Ride Park, where they did loop-de-loops and jumped hurdles and sped down the track. But they wanted more thrills, so this “daredevil dude and thrill-seeker truck” took off into the desert.

They zipped and zoomed past a stony arch and around turns. Then “Mack dashed ahead. / A glimmer of blue and a flicker of red.” Neither truck noticed the fork in the road, and Mack went left as Rig went right. It didn’t take long before they both screeched to a halt, each wondering where his friend had gone. They looked this way and that and even “reached the same ridge, / but Rig took the tunnel / and Mack took the bridge.”

The sun was setting and Rig and Mack were getting worried. They drove through canyons and quarries with no sight of each other, and both feared they were “hopelessly lost.” They quivered at frightening shadows and creepy sounds. Then Mack climbed to the top of a cliff, from where he could see to the horizon, while Rig had a brilliant idea and sent up his flare.

Soon they had found each other and were back side-by-side. Together they drew a map back to the park. Thinking how frightened their parents must be, they zipped through the desert, past landmarks they’d seen on their route, and when they reached the park there were familiar headlights waiting for them. Mack and Rig were happy to be back with their parents and back together.

Kids who are just as exuberant and curious as Mack and Rig will be thrilled to share these friends’ excitement to go off-road and show what they’ve got. The freedom and independence Rig and Mack feel in the wide-open desert is as infectious as Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca Gomez’s rhymes, and children will understand how Mack and Rig miss the sign and get separated. When the realization sets in that Mack and Rig are lost and alone, kids will empathize with their fears and homesickness as well as their worries for each other and their parents. While Rig and Mack enjoy being daredevils together, when the chips are down, it’s their individual personalities that bring them home. Go-get-‘em Mack climbs a cliff for a better vantage point as thoughtful Rig sends up his flare to alert Mack to his location. This clever solution paired with the map Mack and Rig draw prove that best friends can be best teammates as well.

Fans of the first Two Tough Trucks book will be happy to be reunited with Mack, sporting his yellow baseball cap, and Rig with his green headband in Hilary Leung’s vibrant illustrations. From the moment the trucks head out to the park with its fun ramps that kids will recognize from the skate park, readers will love tagging along through the desert as Mack and Rig zoom and vroom, kicking up dust. As the sun sets, Leung effectively portrays Mack and Rig’s growing unease through easily identifiable facial expression. For these two worried trucks, the saguaro cacti, turtle, and roadrunner which had cheered them on during the day, in twilight become ominous shadows and glowering figures. Readers will enjoy comparing the map Rig and Mack draw to the routes they’ve taken, and the comforting glow of their parents’ headlights will remind them of the love in their own home.

Sweet and kid-empowering, Two Tough Trucks Get Lost! would be an often-asked-for addition to home, school, and public library collections.

Ages 3 – 6

Scholastic, 2020 | ISBN 978-1338236552

Discover more about Corey Rosen Schwartz and her books on her website.

To learn more about Rebecca J. Gomez and her books, visit her website

You can learn more about Hilary Leung and see a portfolio of his work on her website.

Check out my review of Two Tough Trucks!

Two Tough Trucks Get Lost! Giveaway

I’m excited to team up with Corey Rosen Schwartz to give away:

One (1) copy of Two Tough Trucks Get Lost!, written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez | illustrated by Hilary Leung

To enter:

• Follow me @CelebratePicBks on Twitter
• Retweet a giveaway tweet
• Bonus: Reply with your child’s favorite truck for an extra entry. Each reply earns one more entry.

This giveaway is open from September 1 through September 7 and ends at 8:00 p.m. EST.

A winner will be chosen on September 8.

Prizing provided by Corey Rosen Schwartz

Giveaway open to U.S. addresses only. | No Giveaway Accounts 

Two Tough Trucks Get Lost! Book Birthday Activity

Keep on Zooming! Maze

These trucks want to play together. Can you help the blue and green truck navigate the maze to meet the yellow truck in this printable maze?

Keep on Zooming! Maze Puzzle | Keep on Zooming! Maze Solution

Keep on Zooming! Easy Maze

Here’s an easier puzzle for little truckers!

Keep on Zooming! Easy Maze Puzzle | Keep on Zooming! Easy Maze Solution

You can find Two Tough Trucks Get Lost! at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review