For the big readers
For grown-ups
The books are written to be read aloud to children aged 4 to 7, in full, lively sentences with plenty of sounds and questions to join in with. Dinky, Book Four, is aimed at ages 4 to 8.
A story for every little reader
Helpful vehicles with big personalities live in and around one English village. Each book is about one of them, and the one thing they always get wrong.
Each book is a complete story, so they can be read in any order. Reading them in number order means you meet the characters as the village grows: Harry, Danny, Kitty, Dinky, Foxy, Fiona, then Denise.
Little stories, big feelings
| Book | What it's about |
|---|---|
| Harry | Everybody is built for something. The thing that makes you awkward in one place can make you exactly right in another. |
| Danny | Slow and steady, and looked after, gets the job done. A looked-after lorry is a ready lorry. |
| Kitty | Gently does it. Being careful is a strength, and rushing helps nobody. |
| Dinky | It does not matter where you were made. It is taking part and joining in that counts. |
| Foxy | You do not have to show off to be liked. Slowly round the corners. |
| Fiona | The people who love you have not forgotten you. Having more friends than you can count is the best present of all. |
| Denise | If you are kind and caring, you will always have friends, no matter what you look like or where you come from. |
| Willy | The things that make you different can be exactly what is needed. And it takes a planner and a wobbler together to get the job done. |
| Quack | It is a fine thing to have a friend who speaks up for you, and a kind thing to listen when they do. But when you really need help, shout for it yourself. |
| Scamp | Being fast is fun, but it is not everything. Keep going, stop for a friend, and you will get there in the end. |
| Old Charlie | It is nice to be shiny, but it is better to be useful. A little mud washes off, and a good turn never does. |
| Gamma | Do not hide away the thing that makes you different. One day it will be exactly what everybody needs. |
Real facts at the end
Yes. Every Green Machine is based on a real vehicle, from the Willys Jeep and the Humvee to the Chieftain and the DUKW. Each character page on this site and the last page of each book gives true facts about the real vehicle.
Spot the duck
One mallard hides in every picture. See if you can find it together.
Jobs, not ranks
Carrying, pulling, towing, rescuing, delivering, exploring, floating, climbing, snow-clearing and running the village show. Every job is one a real owner would recognise from a rally or a show field.
No. The stories are about jobs, not ranks: carrying, towing, rescuing, delivering and running the village show. They are gentle stories about friendship, kindness and finding what you are good at.