The Little Yellow Digger and the Helicopter

The well-known, heroic yellow digger has a tenth adventure. Originally written by Betty Gilderdale, with the series having been picked up by her son Peter, this is the first story to involve a helicopter.

In our country with its challenging terrain and climate change, there is often news of heavy rainfall causing problems - think Cyclone Gabrielle. This story gives small children some reassurance that no matter the problem, help is available and community is important. This picture book has relevance and is also an exciting story about a small town under threat as the river’s stopbanks are about to give way.

A helicopter is needed to airlift a digger to shore up the stopbanks, but the diggers available are too heavy. Despite initial skepticism, the little yellow digger is small enough to lift, yet big enough to save the town.

The narrative is written in rhyming couplets, though some lines flow more smoothly than others. The illustrations by Fifi are vivid and complement the text, showing action and drama. After the celebration banquet, a resident is holding the original yellow digger story; a lovely nod to the original story and its creators.