As a busy mum of 2 daughters, 5 years old and 23 months, I am always on the look out for a bargain. Both my daughters are mad bookworms - if we had to BUY all the books in our house to keep them amused we would be bankrupt! Thank goodness then for the free Book Start scheme run by the government!

As part of the Book Start scheme every child is entitled to three free book packs - one at about nine months, one at about 18 months and one at about 3 years old. My eldest daughter received her 18 month pack some years ago and the books in it have been passed down to her sister - Duck in the Truck is one of them!

The story revolves around a duck driving home in his truck who strikes a rock and becomes stuck in the muck! The story then develops with various other animals stopping to help Duck get his truck free - a sheep in a jeep, a frog and a goat in a motorboat. Eventually the animals free the truck and the Duck drives off home, leaving all the other animals stuck in the muck!

The story is written in a lovely sing-song rhyming way - really easy to read and never gets old even when you have read it as much as we have!

The illustrations are bold and bright and humorous - my youngest never tires of pointing out the muck and naming all the animals as the book is read.

This book gets requested at bedtime a lot, and this is mainly due, I think, to the lovely rhyming, singing quality of the story, as well as the really cheerful illustrations and the humorous ending and end picture.

If you are lucky enough to get this in your Book Start pack, I am sure your little one is in for a treat!