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    Stories Ages 3–4 Tilly the Tiny Tow Truck

    Picture story · read aloud

    Tilly the Tiny Tow Truck

    Ages 3–4 2-min read Construction trucks

    The big trucks say Tilly is too small to help, until Dump gets stuck in the mud and Tilly has a clever idea.

    Tilly the Tiny Tow Truck: tilly, small and smiling, at a sunny building site beside the much bigger yellow digger, green dump truck and red crane

    Tilly was the smallest truck at the building site. She had a little hook and a big smile.

    “You’re too small to help,” rumbled Dig the digger. “Much too small,” grumbled Dump the dump truck. Tilly’s headlights drooped.

    Tilly the Tiny Tow Truck: the green dump truck tipped slightly with one back wheel stuck in a muddy ditch, looking worried, the digger and Tilly looking on

    Then CLUNK! Dump’s back wheel rolled into a deep, muddy ditch. He was stuck!

    Dig pushed. Crane pulled. The mud just went SQUELCH. Dump didn’t budge.

    Tilly the Tiny Tow Truck: tilly zooming along a narrow path between stacks of pipes and bricks where big trucks cannot fit

    “I have an idea!” beeped Tilly. She zoomed off down a narrow path where the big trucks couldn’t fit.

    Soon she came back, pulling a long wooden plank. Bumpity-bump, bumpity-bump.

    Tilly the Tiny Tow Truck: the red crane gently lowering a long wooden plank into the muddy ditch under the dump truck wheel while Tilly watches

    “Put it under the wheel!” said Tilly. Crane lowered the plank into the ditch, nice and slow.

    Dump revved his engine. Vroom… VROOM! Up and out he rolled!

    Tilly the Tiny Tow Truck: all the big trucks cheering around little Tilly at the building site at sunset

    “Thank you, Tilly!” cheered the big trucks. “Small can be very clever,” smiled Dig. Tilly gave her happiest honk. Beep-beep!

    The End

    Cover of the Tilly the Tiny Tow Truck printable foldable mini-book

    Free printable mini-book

    Turn Tilly the Tiny Tow Truck into a little 8-page book to keep. Print one sheet, make one small cut and fold it up in about 3 minutes.

    Download A4 (PDF)
    Download US Letter (PDF)

    Saving ink? Printer-friendly version: A4 · US Letter

    How to fold: fold guide (A4) · fold guide (US Letter) · watch the 50-second video

    Print at 100% (“Actual size”), landscape, on one side. Full colour PDF · A4 1.1 MB · Letter 1.1 MB

    For grown-ups

    Talk about it

    After reading, try one or two of these. There are no wrong answers.

    1. Why couldn’t the big trucks fix the problem on their own?
    2. What was Tilly’s clever idea?
    3. When have you helped, even though you’re small?

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