A Very, Very Noisy Tractor

By Mar Pavón and Nívola Uyá

Winner at the 2013 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards. A fun, original tale that invites us to open our minds and free our spirits, seeing things the way a child sees them: as they really are.

A tractor came chugging down the road. Its noisy engine prevented its driver from hearing all the negative comments and reproaches people yelled as she drove past. Of course, considering the silly things some people say, sometimes it’s better when there’s lots and lots of noise! This funny woman, a farmer by profession, drove up and down with her trusty vehicle, looking empowered and proud of her job: agriculture. Many adult citizens she encountered along the way didn’t understand the extravagance and the uniqueness of this special and original driver. However, when a child saw her and yelled “Hi there, lady on the tractor!”, the tractor came to a halt and the lady turned off the motor and marveled at that freshness, that free spirit that only children transmit.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cuento de Luz
• Release date: Sep 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9788415619666

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Reviews for A Very, Very Noisy Tractor

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A lady with a beehive hairdo, thick glasses, bright blue raincoat, rubber boots and bright red purse drives her tractor along the road in this picture-book from Spain. Fortunately for her, the noise of her vehicle drowns out all the naysayers who claim a lady like her shouldn't be driving a tractor, although she is able to hear the open-minded young boy who stops her to ask some questions. At the end of the day the lady returns home, where her husband has a delicious meal waiting for her, and her daughter declares that she wants to drive a tractor one day as well...Originally published in Spanish as Un tractor muy, muy ruidoso, A Very, Very Noisy Tractor is the second picture-book I have read from author Mar Pavón, following upon her That's Not Normal! Both books are heavily message-driven, with the idea here being that women and men do not need to follow the traditional occupations assigned to their sex and gender, if their inclination leads them elsewhere, and that one should have confidence in one's own choices, even in the face of criticism from community members. While I certainly agree with these ideas, I do feel (much as I did with That's Not Normal!) that they are delivered in a fairly heavy-handed way. Still, the repetitive structure of the text, and the colorful, stylized illustrations from Nívola Uyá make for pleasant reading. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for somewhat quirky stories that deconstruct gendered expectations regarding work and career.