Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site is ubiquitous in the toddler truck book world. There are sequels, spinoffs, activity books, and plushes. By my last count there were 25 installments in the series (!) not counting activity books and translations.
But are they any good?
Look, I haven’t read all of them. Even in this truck-loving household, there are only so many hours in the day! But here’s where I come down.
The Original: Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site
The original installment is pretty good. It would have to be, I suppose, to spark an entire cottage industry. It’s nicely straightforward: a rhyming book where we say good night to each truck on a construction site, as they each finish up one last job and head to bed. Unlike in the sequels, the trucks don’t really have distinct personalities. Instead we focus on their last jobs as they wrap up the day.
The verses are well-written and easy to read, and the vocabulary is at the right level for toddlers. The book uses specialized truck language like boom, chute, and blade, without getting too obscure. The highlight of the book for me is the last line saying goodnight to each truck, with a “Shh” and a quiet good night. It has the calm energy of the best bedtime classics.
My little guy likes that we see the trucks working–lifting beams, pouring cement, etc. We both enjoy cute details like the trucks’ nightlights and teddy bears. It’s a similar concept to one of my favorites, Where do Diggers Sleep at Night, but focused more on the calming side than on those fun extras.
The Sequels (Where I Start to Have a Problem)
So here’s the thing: there are so many of these books. Some of them are probably good! But the ones I’ve read are… not so great. None good enough for me to recommend. Here are two examples that help explain my biggest problems:
Three Cheers for Kid McGear
Problem #1: the sequels are at best, somewhat lazy, and at worst, ripoffs of better, worthier books.
Three Cheers for Kid McGear has almost the exact setup of my all-time fave Little Excavator: a small truck, meant to be relatable to the little kid audience, is new to the construction crew and it seems like they won’t be much help to the big guys. Then, it has almost the exact plot of the original Little Blue Truck: a big truck gets stuck in the mud, and in need of rescuing from our unlikely hero.
Ok, I get it. There are only so many things a truck can get up to! And trucks certainly do get stuck in the mud sometimes. But this one combines those borrowed plot elements with odd details that a toddler won’t understand (the skid steer somehow… drives poles into the ground? Which she uses to anchor chains? And cuts trees out of the mud? Huh? I’m a grown adult and even I don’t understand the physics of this rescue operation). I’m annoyed that this is just a worse version of books I like, and that people are spending money on it because their kids like the original and recognize the art style.
Cement Mixer ABCs
Problem #2: the verse writing in the sequels is often downright clunky.
Cement Mixer’s ABC is actually the first book in the series I ever encountered. We picked it up at the library, and I read it many, many times over a short span. I will, for the rest of my life, remember my least favorite verse in picture books:
Now Teamwork–that’s an awesome T!
The teamwork-est mixer, yep, that’s me!
I just… nope. No thank you!! Surely there are better T words for a truck alphabet book. (Perhaps… truck?) And if you do want to go with Teamwork, surely there’s a better way to work it in. Really, the book as a whole isn’t even that bad. But if this wasn’t part of an extremely popular, long-running series, it probably would never have been published.
The Verdict
Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site: A-minus
The sequels: C-minus
I really do quite like the original, and if you somehow know a toddler who likes trucks and doesn’t already have this book, it would make a fine gift.
But it just grinds my gears (hah!) that the sequels can be so lazy and still dominate the bookshelves of little kids (and the wallets of their parents). Move over and make room for better books!
I’m sure we’ll read more of these, and I’ll try to keep an open mind. I promise to update this post if I come across any worthy sequels as we inevitably work our way through the collection.
➡️ Read more of the All-Time Best Truck Books for Toddlers.
➡️ Read more of the Best Construction Truck Books for Toddlers.