Cement Mixer’s ABC

Sherri Duskey Rinker's Cement Mixer's ABC is a bouncy rhyming alphabet for 5 year olds, set on a busy building site.

What happens

Cement Mixer is hard at work, and as his drum spins he starts a little tune. He's going to find a construction word for every letter of the alphabet. There's just one problem. He'd love his friend Bulldozer to sing along, and Bulldozer would rather get on with the job.

So Cement Mixer sings it himself. B is for Bulldozer and his blade. D is for Dump Truck. G is for the gravel Dump Truck spills. Crane lifts an I-beam, straight and strong.

It's a lovely mix of real building-site words and everyday ones. Your reader picks up hazard lights, forms and concrete alongside keys, the sun and the moon. There's even a mini lesson in how concrete gets made (cement, water, sand and gravel, all mixed up in that big drum).

The rhyme really bounces. It's made for reading out loud, and by the second go your little one will probably be joining in with the letters.

Truck fans will be in heaven. But there's a sweet friendship bit too. Stern, proud Bulldozer tries SO hard to stay serious. By the time Cement Mixer calls himself the teamwork-est mixer, he can't help laughing out loud.

Then the sun starts to fade. U is for the moon coming up. W is for washing out the drum. By the time Cement Mixer reaches a great big Y for YAWN, he's ready for bed.

That makes it a brilliant winding-down story. Who doesn't love a book that ends with everyone going to sleep?

It's a short one, so it fits perfectly into a quick bedtime read or a spot of letter practice. And keep an eye out for Z. Cement Mixer's so sleepy he nearly forgets it, and it's Bulldozer who gets the last word.

What to read next

If your reader wants more of this building-site crew, Three Cheers for Kid McGear is a great next read. A tiny brand-new skid steer arrives at the yard, and the big trucks aren't sure she's strong enough to help.