Books in Blastoff! Readers: Mighty Machines series

"Relevant images match informative text in this introduction to police cars. Intended for students in kindergarten through third grade"--

Digging deep in the dirt. This is what a backhoe is built to do, with its long arm and bucket scoop. No muscular man or woman with a shovel in hand can match the machine's strength. Young readers will dig this title that breaks down how backhoes work.

Trash cans and dumpsters are the weights garbage trucks lift with their robotic arms. Once lifted, the bins lose their weight, being flipped upside down and emptied into the trucks' hoppers. In this low-level title, children will pick up a basic knowledge of garbage trucks.

Hockey players and figure skaters wouldnt be able to perform their best without Zamboni ice resurfacers. The famous ice polisher machines smooth ice by shaving it, washing it, squeegeeing it, and more! In this title, beginning readers will watch Zamboni machines make loops around ice rinks.

Helicopters are among the most mission-oriented machines. They often get their rotors spinning to pick up a sick or injured person, to a military zone, or to help with a wildfire. In this book, helicopters lift off, spin, and land for early readers.

The first step of any construction project is preparing the site for building. The job requires earth movers to rip, dig, level, and move ground. This childrens title, grounded in facts, lets young readers dig into learning about the action-packed work of earth movers.

From freight carriers to passenger transports, trains have chugged along throughout history. Over time, these traveling machines have advanced and picked up speed. The fastest bullet trains of today zoom around at more than 300 miles per hour! This book will have young readers calling "all aboard!"

Up for almost any job, a tractor is a dependable farmhand. This field machine plows, plants, and bales hay, among other things. It also lets many different pieces of farm equipment hitch a ride. The powerful tractors rolling through this book will pull along beginning readers.

All snowplows are alike in that they have the same job to dobattle blizzards. But their body types do not fit one mold. Pickup trucks, ATVs, loaders, and dump trucks can all become snowplows. This elementary read shows all kinds of snowplows pushing fresh powder.

In need of a giant hauler? Bring in the dump truck! The big truck looks very much like a heavy-duty sandbox on wheels. It moves dirt, rocks, and other loose loads. This book geared toward beginning readers spills basic facts about dump trucks.

Pushing ahead and moving anything in its way, the bulldozer is a bladed beast. And a blade is often not the only sharp tool on this machine. A claw-like ripper can pierce through hard ground. This elementary title will push students to grow as readers.

A drum and a chute make a concrete mixer unique from other construction equipment. The first part has a spiral-shaped inside for mixing concrete. The second part shoots concrete out of the machine. Beginning readers will want to turn the pages of this title about concrete mixers!