Let’s go on a ride somewhere in a car, boat or train. Here are some great new picture books that will help your youngster understand our many modes of transportation.

Little Boat, by Thomas Dosherty, has a tiny tugboat exploring the wide open spaces of the ocean. He encounters many dangers and exciting friends as he travels near and far. The full-page watercolors seem to wash over each page and envelope you into the sea. The cutout circular hole in the middle of the cover conveys peering into a porthole. And the simple, but descriptive, text carries over waves and tide pools with a trip guaranteed to keep you from putting down anchor.

Tugga-Tugga Tugboat, by Kevin Lewis, and brightly illustrated by Daniel Kirk, is an adorable little board book full of vivid color and a story that will surely take your toddler on a voyage through the seas and ending in the bath. Here’s a tugboat that’s soon to become a tubboat.

Kids love fire engines. Here are two books that are sure to please. My Little Red Fire Truck, by Stephen T. Johnson, is an incredibly interactive and oversized book with thick reinforced pages. There are large pop-out articles that have to do with parts of the fire truck such as a nozzle for the gas tank, a yellow hose to undo, a rotating driving wheel, a hand-held radio and even a removable ladder. This book may just make a firefighter out of you! This is the Firefighter, by Laura Godwin, and illustrated by Julian Hector, will help youngsters understand what encompasses the job of a firefighter. In a simple text, the descriptions of the firefighter defines what makes a hero.

Toot Toot Zoom, by Phyllis Root, and illustrated by Matthew Cordell, is actually a story about friendship. Pierre, a red fox, jumps in his little red car to drive over the mountain in search for a friend. The ink and watercolors of landscape and characters fill the pages and make for a great traveling adventure as he discovers much more than expected.  Don’t forget to see a resourceful use of the car at the end of the book.

Let’s Go!, published by Baby Einstein, is a terrific visual and effective display of all kinds of travel for ages 9 months and older. Each full-page spread has about a dozen brightly photographed or painted pictures and is categorized by location. Some include “On the Farm,” In the Snow” and “At Play”.

Clang! Clang! Beep! Beep! Listen to the City, by Robert Burleigh, and illustrated by Beppe Giacobbe, is a celebration of the sounds of a big harbor city. The sights and sounds explored here make for an exciting day in the life of a boy from morning ‘til night.

Watch Me Go!, by Rebecca Young, and illustrated by Von Glitschka, is a smallish book of different types of transportation with eight lenticular pictures that creates the image of movement when moving the book.

I’m Your Bus, by Marilyn Singer, and illustrated by Evan Polenghi, is the perfect book to help alleviate worries of riding on the school bus. This simple rhyming story begins with waking up and driving to their stops to pick up children. The smiling grates and happy eyes on the windshields make the anticipation of riding pleasant. This would be perfect for those first time riders.

Machines Go To Work, by William Low, is a beautifully mastered picture book featuring eight  modes of transportation. Mr. Low has wonderfully illustrated these vehicles in fold out forms enabling the reader to see where each is going. There’s information about each vehicle located at the back of the book. You can watch him paint by checking out You Tube.

Whoo! Whoo! Goes the Train, by Anne Rockwell, and with colorization by Vanessa van der Baan, will take you on a train ride along with Allan and experience all that awaits this trip on the rails. But throughout the book, there’s a commuter train, freight train and even ending with a steam engine train. The colors are bright and bold and Allan is about to be surprised with his destination at the end.

And while we’re on the subject of trains, Trains, by Lynn Curlee, is an exceptional look into the history of trains. The colorful illustrations are all on one side of the open page and the opposite side describes historical information. This book is actually an excellent way to teach a little about our American history.

The Grumpy Dump Truck, by Brie Spangler, has an attitude problem. He was mean to the foreman, bricklayers and even to other trucks. But it’s all about to change when he meets a very nice porcupine driver who shows him some sympathy. The digital colors are vibrant and bright and go nicely with the storyline.

And lastly, Jon Sciescka’s Trucktown Truckery Rhymes is the perfect read aloud that you can actually sing along and enjoy. The rhymes are written in the form of the traditional rhymes with the familiar sing-song patterns that beg this book to be sung. The rhymes have been changed to fit the “Trucktown” characters like “Peter Peter Payload Eater” or “Pop Goes the Diesel”. This book is great fun!