K-Gr 3–In this holiday tale that describes life at a collective agricultural settlement, a dilapidated old farm tractor is given a new purpose when beloved Tractor Zack pulls a load that nearly ends his job before they can celebrate the beginning of the harvest season on Shavuot. In a group effort to uphold tradition and culture, family and friends at the Sunshine Kibbutz share community responsibilities. Themes throughout serve as a cultural anchor for awareness of the community and teach young readers about alternative social settings, such as communal living. VERDICT Imparting community-oriented values related to working together as a team and being resourceful, this is recommended for libraries serving young readers.

– School Library Journal

This is a quiz question for all you children’s book specialists out there. Name me at least one picture book for kids, published in the United States, that features a kibbutz. One. Just one. If you can do it, then you’ve a greater swath of knowledge at your disposal than I. And since we seem to live in a kibbutz-less state (from a literary perspective anyway), it stands to reason that it’s kind of important that one is being published. It is told from the tractor’s p.o.v., yep, and with a kind of Thomas the Tank Engine look to it. What’s notable, too, is that it’s a modern Israeli kibbutz and not a historical one. A rarity, to be sure.

– Betsy Bird, Fuse8 (School Library Journal)