The Construction Crew: A Picture Book

by Lynn Meltzer, Carrie Eko-Burgess (Illustrator)

The construction gang is tearing down an old building and laying the foundation for a new home. Workers use all kinds of trucks and tools to get the job done. And just in time for a family to move in.
 
The alliterative text complete with shout-out language that young children will love is just right for preschoolers.

Genres: Picture Books, Construction, Storytime, Childrens, Trucks, Transport, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

First published November 8, 2011

About the author

Dr. Lynn J. Meltzer is the President and Co-Founder of the Research Institute for Learning and Development in Lexington, MA. She is a Fellow and Past-President of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities. She is the Founder and Program Chair of the Annual Executive Function and Learning Differences Conference which she has chaired for the past 37 years.

For 30 years, Meltzer was an Associate in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Child Development at Tufts University.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Currently my little 2 year old nephews favourite book. Keeps wanting people to read it to him.
Wanted me to read it this morning, made a bee-line straight for me.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many preschoolers will be delighted with this board book featuring a construction crew and all of its trucks at work as they demolish one old building to make room for its replacement--a new house and a family ready to make friends with any nearby neighbors. Not only do I like all the vehicles featured here as will its intended audience, but I appreciated how the author sets up a problem to be solved--for instance, a boulder that is in the way--and then points out which truck would be most useful in moving it. While the various lengths of a cherry picker are on display here, so are simple skills such as hammers and nails. With a diverse cast of characters and women as well as men working on the trucks and other vehicles, this board book might inspire some youngsters to gravitate to a career in construction. It's a good thing that is is in a sturdy format because it is sure to get plenty of use from young readers who love those trucks and are fascinated by construction.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meltzer, Lynn. The Construction Crew, illustrated by Carrie Eko-Burgess. Henry Holt and Company, 2017. $7.99. Content: G. BOARD BOOK.
The picture book version was published in 2011, this is the first board book edition. The author starts by introducing all the different types of construction trucks: wrecking ball, bulldozer, backhoe, dump truck, and cement mixer. Always with the catch phrase, “What do we need?” Whose needed next is the construction crew! They use drills, cherry pickers, hammer and nails, steamrollers, and extension ladders. Now the new home needs a new family with a moving truck and cheerful neighbors.

The illustrations are bright and eye-catching. Each page is carefully rhymed. What do we need? A parent to read it during story time.
Pre-K - ADVISABLE. Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.

[Ro Menendez · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rhyming story that introduces the basic equipment and skilled workers needed to build a new home. The tone is cheerful and upbeat, and young readers who are curious about big machines and how things are built will enjoy the text and illustrations. Both male and female machine operators and builders are showcased and the end result of all these machines and construction crew working together is a new home for a family and a getting together of neighbors to welcome them to the neighborhood.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read to a group of parents and 2-year olds. The bright illustrations and rhyming text made it fun. There is quite a lot of vocabulary in here and I think this book might work even better for a parent and child, where the child could learn to anticipate the coming words and insert them. I like that the book begins with removing an old building and ends with a family in their new home.

[Emily Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me think "Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!" every time it says "What do we need? A ______ !" So it felt really awkward to read, but maybe that's just me. The children in storytime did enjoy shouting out which equipment was needed for each scenario.

[Kimberly]

1-2 sentences per page. States a need and then asks a question for what they need and gives the answer for what construction tool/vehicle. Ends with them moving into a home. Diverse rep in skin color.

[Jennifer Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book for storytime.

[Esutterlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this one over and over and over for children who are fans of trucks and construction stories.
Useful for storytimes.

[Frankie S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect book read at library today for construction crew story time. Went over many different types of vehicles...from demolition to a new house. Lots of great rhyming!

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huge images of construction trucks. Short rhymes. This is right up a construction truck loving toddler.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great pictures, rhymes and no tear pages. Everything I love in a children's book.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Toddler and preschool
Rhyming

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the simple rhymes that clearly told what the different construction machines did. Simple illustrations.

[Karen Burt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for pre-K or kindergarten. The pictures are very colorful and there are very few words on each page. Each page defines a term beginning with wrecking ball and ending with a home. I know the idea is to go through all the different stages of building. It did not make sense to me to tear something down to build a house, but that is the train of thought used in this book. Each page does have an easy definition of a word, with the word printed in a different color so it stands out. This is a good way for beginning readers to recognize words and identify them using pictures.

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had any money in my book budget right now I'd buy 2 more copies. Even with the sturdier book boards and stiffer paper, this one is going to get loved to death by little boys--and some little girls too.
Bright bold art, just enough text. Rhymes that work and formed in a question/answer form that will lead to shout outs and repeat readings.
In other words, a GREAT book to add to your shelves full of Margaret Mayo, Jonathan London, the McMullans and other current authors doing books of this ilk!

[Milo · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I love the wrecking ball."

I love construction right now. I love to play with large trucks. When we are driving, I ask Mama and Papa to slow down when we get near construction so that I can see the big machines working.

Mama likes this book because I am practicing the alphabet. This book has big lettered words. We can stop at each page and look at the letters and see how they make words that I am very interested in saying.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun rhyming. Bright, cheerful pictures. I like the asking of what is needed--kids would love to call out, especially if they pick up on the rhyming part. This would work in a preschool storytime as well as a lap-read. But I really don't like the ending. In my speech, "poem" and "home" do not rhyme. If I do this in storytime, I'd skip that part.

[Jj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice bold + colorful illustrations, limited but fun (rhyming) text. I think this will be very popular with the toddler/preschool crowd who cannot get enough of the whole machines/things that go/construction sort of materials. I wish it were a bit larger trim size, but it is big enough to use successfully in a typical storytime setting.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read at Toddler Lap Time on 5/2/13: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at Toddler Lap Time on 5/3/13: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

[Natasha North · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for the construction and tool-obsessed toddlers and young preschoolers in your life. Large, bright pictures with diverse characters will carry well for storytimes. There are even a few welcome atypical plot elements for a toddler construction book.

[Edna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read-aloud book that allows the listener to guess and say what vehicle or tool is needed to help build a new house in a new neighborhood. Simple, brightly colored block illustrations accent the vehicle and tool.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sure to be a hit with preschool boys.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Direct appeal for a young audience, bold illustrations.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely illustrated. Would make a nice interactive choice for sharing.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bright pictures, diverse characters, and a rhyming chant that begs to be screamed aloud! Tons of fun!

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great construction book for toddlers, but it's a little long.

[Alisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

For any little boys that love all machines, this is the perfect quick read with really fun rhymes.

[Mercy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trucks, construction

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Various construction equipment is depicted in primary colors that is necessary to demolish a building and then to build a house in its place.