What do you think?
Rate this book
Road Builders
Ever wonder how a road is built? Come along with Caldecott Medalist Simms Taback and find out!
First you'll meet the crew. Then you'll see all the trucks up close--cement mixers, bulldozers, dump trucks, graders, pavers--and learn what each one does. And finally, you'll watch a bustling new road come to life!
"A splendid introduction to a world that many children find riveting."--Publishers Weekly
First you'll meet the crew. Then you'll see all the trucks up close--cement mixers, bulldozers, dump trucks, graders, pavers--and learn what each one does. And finally, you'll watch a bustling new road come to life!
"A splendid introduction to a world that many children find riveting."--Publishers Weekly
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
3 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
B.G. Hennessy
66 books43 followersA LITTLE ABOUT ME
As a child I loved to draw-but I also loved books, especially picture books. I still remember certain illustrations, covers and bindings from books that were read to me as a young girl.
I’ve lived in many places: I grew up in Wantagh on Long Island, N.Y., graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts and attended St. Lawrence University in upstate New York.
At the University of Wisconsin in Madison, I majored in fine art and learned how to design, print and bind handmade books. I also took courses in Children’s Literature. The combination of form and content in the picture book format fascinated me and after graduation I headed for NYC where I worked for 17 years in children’s book publishing as a designer and art director. But I didn’t begin to write until I had children of my own.
My books have been published in many countries and in many different languages. You can find my books in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Germany. Some of my books have been translated into German, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Tswana, Sesotho, and Zulu!
I now live with my family in Arizona. You can read more about me at my website: www.bghennessy.com
As a child I loved to draw-but I also loved books, especially picture books. I still remember certain illustrations, covers and bindings from books that were read to me as a young girl.
I’ve lived in many places: I grew up in Wantagh on Long Island, N.Y., graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts and attended St. Lawrence University in upstate New York.
At the University of Wisconsin in Madison, I majored in fine art and learned how to design, print and bind handmade books. I also took courses in Children’s Literature. The combination of form and content in the picture book format fascinated me and after graduation I headed for NYC where I worked for 17 years in children’s book publishing as a designer and art director. But I didn’t begin to write until I had children of my own.
My books have been published in many countries and in many different languages. You can find my books in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Germany. Some of my books have been translated into German, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Tswana, Sesotho, and Zulu!
I now live with my family in Arizona. You can read more about me at my website: www.bghennessy.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
December 3, 2012
Road Builders by B.G. Hennessy and Simms Taback is a picture book for young children that discusses the step-by-step process of building roads. The book explains in terms that are easy for young children to understand the different types of trucks and machinery that are used for this job, the roles of the many people involved, and the steps that they follow.
By reading this book, children will become intrigued by the descriptions of the vast amount of equipment used in road building, and they will be very likely to begin questioning more aspects of this book’s themes, which include transportation and the occupations that are involved with it. For this reason, this book is a great one for young students to read, especially when discussing the topic of transportation and how it affects our daily lives. I recommend this book for any child who is enjoys reading and learning about different methods of transportation, as well as those who are discussing these types of subjects in class.
By reading this book, children will become intrigued by the descriptions of the vast amount of equipment used in road building, and they will be very likely to begin questioning more aspects of this book’s themes, which include transportation and the occupations that are involved with it. For this reason, this book is a great one for young students to read, especially when discussing the topic of transportation and how it affects our daily lives. I recommend this book for any child who is enjoys reading and learning about different methods of transportation, as well as those who are discussing these types of subjects in class.
March 18, 2023
Enjoyed reading with this year's class-- great complement to pretend play!
Illustrations and detail that lure readers of all ages into what it takes to build a road-- both in terms of personnel and equipment. My class of three and four year olds can't get enough of this book, and I'm certain it would appeal to elementary readers as well. The leaves are embellished with road signs and they loved poring over those and guessing what they mean. Every library should have a copy of Road Builders. Hope this one is still in print.
Illustrations and detail that lure readers of all ages into what it takes to build a road-- both in terms of personnel and equipment. My class of three and four year olds can't get enough of this book, and I'm certain it would appeal to elementary readers as well. The leaves are embellished with road signs and they loved poring over those and guessing what they mean. Every library should have a copy of Road Builders. Hope this one is still in print.
February 21, 2018
The thing that stood out the most about Road Builders for me as a parent were the pictures. The illustrations provided for Road Builders by Simms Taback are terrific. Each page clearly depicts men and women using the equipment necessary to build a road.
The book also provides parents and children opportunities to learn more about the vehicles mentioned. From graders, front loaders, and pavers used for the building of the road to school buses, RVs, and horse trailers using the road, children are presented with the chance to learn the names of many different types of vehicles.
I would recommend this book for preschoolers and kindergartners interested in trucks, construction, and cars.
The book also provides parents and children opportunities to learn more about the vehicles mentioned. From graders, front loaders, and pavers used for the building of the road to school buses, RVs, and horse trailers using the road, children are presented with the chance to learn the names of many different types of vehicles.
I would recommend this book for preschoolers and kindergartners interested in trucks, construction, and cars.
July 15, 2021
I was drawn to this title because of the illustrator, Simms Tabeck whom I didn’t expect to illustrate a title about equipment that builds roads. Tabeck does an excellent job of illustrating the detail of road building machines.
The author, B. G. Hennessy, tells the story of how a road is built in sequence, not just giving a little info about various machines. A very good “true” picture book. First published in 1994 this picture book continues to be appropriate for 2021.
In 2018 a board book edition of this title was published. Many times I think the board book is not an appropriate format for many picture books. However, this one works very well.
The author, B. G. Hennessy, tells the story of how a road is built in sequence, not just giving a little info about various machines. A very good “true” picture book. First published in 1994 this picture book continues to be appropriate for 2021.
In 2018 a board book edition of this title was published. Many times I think the board book is not an appropriate format for many picture books. However, this one works very well.
April 16, 2018
This was my son's favorite book for nearly three years. We had to read it at least five times a week. The pictures are adorable and the story is sweet and simple. Children learn how a road is planned and built, and it's great fun when the kids identify the same kinds of road-building trucks when they see them in real life. Fran was a big hit in our house, easily our favorite character. If you have a budding road worker, try to find this one in hardback.
October 29, 2019
We received this story in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program. My 4 year old really loves this story and I enjoy reading it to him. The illustrations are detailed and colorful. It shows all that goes into making a new road. Starting with the blue prints, to all the different types of construction trucks that make it, to all the workers and their specific duties. It's perfect for any construction and truck lover.
January 29, 2025
Perfect for toddlers that are super into trucks. The illustrations are a nice throwback to '90s cartoons for those millennial parents. There aren't very many words on a page which is perfect for young listeners. The colors are bright and my toddler would read this book again and again and again. I do think it's interesting that there is no excavator. But that made sense once I found out the excavator wasn't popular until the late 90s.
August 13, 2018
I can see that this was originally published as a full-size picture book--the detail in the images and some of the vocab here are definitely screaming "not a board book!" in a few different ways. That said, I do very much like the content here and the format is sure to bring this to an interested audience.
August 10, 2023
This was one of my daughter's favorite books she ever got from the Imagination Library. I can still remember when she was about a year old, and she sat against the door of our apartment for forty-give minutes just looking at the pictures. She had us read it to her over and over. I learned what all the different trucks were! Such good memories.
September 29, 2019
There is a lot of info in this book - different types of trucks, different people, all of the steps it takes to build a road. It's probably a little overwhelming for my 1 year old...but will be great in another year.
December 30, 2019
This book is great for any kid interested in big machines and construction. It looks at many of the trucks and machines used to make a road and the steps that go into building a road while still being a fun, light children's book.
January 14, 2022
+ Describes what different "road builder" vehicles do.
+ Simple and clear illustrations.
+ Informative and relevant real-world topic because we have construction work everywhere around us (depending on where in the world you are :)).
+ Female construction worker (Fran) represent!
+ Simple and clear illustrations.
+ Informative and relevant real-world topic because we have construction work everywhere around us (depending on where in the world you are :)).
+ Female construction worker (Fran) represent!
April 28, 2018
For Toddler use with two short truck/car books.
January 13, 2019
Women were included.
April 26, 2019
We love trucks. We didn’t understand why there was only one girl person on the work crew.
April 8, 2020
I looove this book... i know more about trucks...
October 4, 2021
love the pictures!
May 18, 2023
they redid our road today AND we came across this book at Slimak!
Read
April 2, 2024Brod Favorite
December 3, 2019
I could see this really working for specific kids -- it gives information about making a road, and that's really nice. I love children's books that inform about why and how the world is the way it is in clear and simple ways. I'm not sure I liked the way the author introduced the trucks and the people at first -- nobody's going to remember the names, and we learn more about the trucks later, so there's no need to plug them all in early on.
January 26, 2009
Well, it might be a five star, but I feel I have to save that for truly amazing books. 4 and 5 year old preschool girls loved this book and were pointing out some of the specialized trucks later in the day. Fun artwork, educational about what it takes and how many different people it takes to build a road.
January 26, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. Though it is a simple read, it is a good introduction book as well. It gives steps to how a road is built. It is great to learn how to write step by step stories. This book also answers curious questions about things we use on a daily basis. It is good to introduce how to write.
December 23, 2008
A 3rd good book to round out a construction storytime. Multicultural and 'multigender' workers build a road and show all the machines and processes needed to build a road... for all those machine freaks.
April 27, 2009
This book has nice pictures, which are colorful and detailed. It describes what different kinds of trucks are needed to build a road. My daughter(1.5 yrs) asks me to read this book every day.
September 2, 2010
We're a big fan of Simms Taback's artwork. I really like his artistic style! Alex really enjoyed this one as well.
April 16, 2011
My son loved this one. He's all boy and fascinated by trucks and building. This was perfect for him.
January 16, 2012
I like animals and trains more than I like construction equipment, but I really enjoyed this book.
April 1, 2013
This is one of my brother's favorite pictures books. It talks about all different kinds of equipment it takes to build a road.
May 1, 2014
3*art
4* story
4* story
May 14, 2015
this is a great book for all children who are obsessed with big diggers or large trucks. Great illustrations,simple text.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews