What do you think?
Rate this book
Machines Go to Work in the City
Toddlers love machines and things that go, and this book gives them everything they want, from a bucket truck to a tower crane to an airplane. Every other spread has an interactive gatefold which extends the original picture to three pages, revealing something new about each situation. The last spread diagrams each city machine, providing additional information for young readers to pore over again and again. William Low’s classically-trained artist’s eye adds a new layer to this genre, and both parents and children will appreciate the beautiful illustrations, the attention to detail, and the clever situational twists revealed by lifting the flaps.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published May 12, 2009
42 people want to read
About the author
William Low
42 books11 followersWilliam Low is a much-lauded illustrator, author, and painter who has received numerous awards. His books include Chinatown and Old Penn Station. He lives in New York City.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 19, 2009
In his 1975 Introduction to his book Dandelion Wine Ray Bradbury has this to say about children and the ugliness of the mechanical world. “Trains and boxcars and the smell of coal and fire are not ugly to children. Ugliness is a concept that we happen on later and become self-conscious about.” It's true that many of us adults forget how fascinating and beautiful large machines are to small humans. Of course there are a few grownups capable of remembering, and if they are authors they might write books about trucks and trains and cars and planes. Yet these books tend to be written for small tykes and too often they are simplistic and sufficient. In my own experience as a children’s librarian I have noticed that what kids really love in such books are details and realism. They like to be told the difference between a stabilizer and a backhoe bucket or a tow cable and a smoke stack. William Low taps into that need, bringing us a book that combines story, technical details, and sheer beauty all in one neat little package. At last children and adults finally can find a middle ground in what they consider “beautiful”.
You want a lift the flap book? Brother, you got it. In Machines Go To Work a riverside town plays host to a wide variety of different mechanical beasts. In the first scene we see a backhoe suspiciously close to some tulips. The text asks, “Is the backhoe digging up the flowers?” Lift the flap and the answer is revealed. “No, it’s digging a hole for new crab-apple trees. The flowers are safe.” The book continues in this manner. Firemen rescue a kitten from a tree, a news helicopter reports on a family of ducks crossing the road, a cement mixer needs a tow, and so on. At the end of the day a huge freight train moves through the town and as we lift the flaps the scene pulls back so that we’re looking down on the town from above. And in the midst of the clicketys and the clacks we can see the tow truck, ship, helicopter, fire truck and backhoe all scattered about the streets, going about their day.
William Low is an author/illustrator who is quite popular here in New York. His books Chinatown and Old Penn Station speak to his familiarity with the city itself. Machines Go To Work is an entirely different beast altogether then. It’s a tale of a small town with an industrial history (or so the cargo ship and the train would have me believe). As such, Low is free to indulge in the natural beauty of the living world coupled alongside the mechanical beauty of vehicles. This may not be clear from the cover, but open the book up and look at the title page. There you see a fire truck, and behind it a view of trees and houses. And behind that? The sea. It’s a bright sunny day, but the truck is driving through shadow in this shot, which allows its lights the chance to shine a little in the semi-darkness. And when I think of all the truck books out there that just throw a vehicle into a scene without considering lighting, mood, shadow, or landscape, I grow increasingly impressed with Mr. Low’s work.
I began this review by saying that this book finds a middle ground between what kids find beautiful and what adults acknowledge as lovely. In no spread is this clearer than when the firefighters rescue a kitten from a small grove of cherry blossom trees. This selection is near the beginning of the book, which I credit to Low's cleverness. A parent flipping through the book idly might pause and grant the book greater respect if they saw this spread right at the start of the story. Essentially what we see here is a fire truck (the front in a kind of permanent shadow, which is a bit odd but oh well) parked before a riot of pink and white blossoms. The blue sky is only slightly visible in the midst of all this color, and the fact that the brick red fire truck doesn’t clash is impressive. One could stare at this picture for a very long time, entirely separate from the story. If William Low does anything, he makes it so that when children ask for this book to be read over and over again, the parents will be eager to plunge themselves into this gorgeous world once more.
What we adults find mundane, Low turns into a story. Adults would generally find a tale of how a tow truck got a jump from a pickup truck less then entirely thrilling. Some kids, however, would want to know the logistics of this moment in the minutest details. Kids are like that. When they want to learn about something they won’t stop until they’ve sated their own curiosity. Low provides for this. In the back of the book is a two-page spread that shows small incredibly well articulated and detailed machines as seen in the book. Each machine (even the railroad crossing sign, which I liked) has a description as well as arrows and words describing each part. Kids will see where a tow truck’s towline is or a tugboat’s spotlight. Adults could probably use a refresher for this kind of stuff as well.
When I think of William Low’s art, I tend to think of thick paints, visible strokes, and bright clear-cut colors. In Machines Go To Work, Low still has all of that, but he has worked in a delicacy and detailing that catch the eye as well. Taking into account his attention to light and shadow, his sense of small towns and their appearances, and the simultaneous beauty found in mechanics and nature, I think it’s clear that this is more than your average truck title. This picture book is beautiful and will be loved by young and old alike. Even if you’ve never cared two bits about things that go vroom and honk honk, you’re going to like what you find here. A rote subject by a master of the form.
Ages 4-8.
You want a lift the flap book? Brother, you got it. In Machines Go To Work a riverside town plays host to a wide variety of different mechanical beasts. In the first scene we see a backhoe suspiciously close to some tulips. The text asks, “Is the backhoe digging up the flowers?” Lift the flap and the answer is revealed. “No, it’s digging a hole for new crab-apple trees. The flowers are safe.” The book continues in this manner. Firemen rescue a kitten from a tree, a news helicopter reports on a family of ducks crossing the road, a cement mixer needs a tow, and so on. At the end of the day a huge freight train moves through the town and as we lift the flaps the scene pulls back so that we’re looking down on the town from above. And in the midst of the clicketys and the clacks we can see the tow truck, ship, helicopter, fire truck and backhoe all scattered about the streets, going about their day.
William Low is an author/illustrator who is quite popular here in New York. His books Chinatown and Old Penn Station speak to his familiarity with the city itself. Machines Go To Work is an entirely different beast altogether then. It’s a tale of a small town with an industrial history (or so the cargo ship and the train would have me believe). As such, Low is free to indulge in the natural beauty of the living world coupled alongside the mechanical beauty of vehicles. This may not be clear from the cover, but open the book up and look at the title page. There you see a fire truck, and behind it a view of trees and houses. And behind that? The sea. It’s a bright sunny day, but the truck is driving through shadow in this shot, which allows its lights the chance to shine a little in the semi-darkness. And when I think of all the truck books out there that just throw a vehicle into a scene without considering lighting, mood, shadow, or landscape, I grow increasingly impressed with Mr. Low’s work.
I began this review by saying that this book finds a middle ground between what kids find beautiful and what adults acknowledge as lovely. In no spread is this clearer than when the firefighters rescue a kitten from a small grove of cherry blossom trees. This selection is near the beginning of the book, which I credit to Low's cleverness. A parent flipping through the book idly might pause and grant the book greater respect if they saw this spread right at the start of the story. Essentially what we see here is a fire truck (the front in a kind of permanent shadow, which is a bit odd but oh well) parked before a riot of pink and white blossoms. The blue sky is only slightly visible in the midst of all this color, and the fact that the brick red fire truck doesn’t clash is impressive. One could stare at this picture for a very long time, entirely separate from the story. If William Low does anything, he makes it so that when children ask for this book to be read over and over again, the parents will be eager to plunge themselves into this gorgeous world once more.
What we adults find mundane, Low turns into a story. Adults would generally find a tale of how a tow truck got a jump from a pickup truck less then entirely thrilling. Some kids, however, would want to know the logistics of this moment in the minutest details. Kids are like that. When they want to learn about something they won’t stop until they’ve sated their own curiosity. Low provides for this. In the back of the book is a two-page spread that shows small incredibly well articulated and detailed machines as seen in the book. Each machine (even the railroad crossing sign, which I liked) has a description as well as arrows and words describing each part. Kids will see where a tow truck’s towline is or a tugboat’s spotlight. Adults could probably use a refresher for this kind of stuff as well.
When I think of William Low’s art, I tend to think of thick paints, visible strokes, and bright clear-cut colors. In Machines Go To Work, Low still has all of that, but he has worked in a delicacy and detailing that catch the eye as well. Taking into account his attention to light and shadow, his sense of small towns and their appearances, and the simultaneous beauty found in mechanics and nature, I think it’s clear that this is more than your average truck title. This picture book is beautiful and will be loved by young and old alike. Even if you’ve never cared two bits about things that go vroom and honk honk, you’re going to like what you find here. A rote subject by a master of the form.
Ages 4-8.
December 27, 2018
toddler/preschool picture book (trucks and construction machines)
large, engaging fold-out pictures of TRUCKS are sure to draw attention, and are sandwiched neatly between onomatopoeia sounds. This is definitely one of those books that will draw readers closer (they always want to touch the pages when they see things of great interest). Nice vocab, too.
"GZZZZZZZZZK! This backhoe is ready. The stabilizers are down.
Is the backhoe digging up the flowers?
No, it's digging a hole for new crab-apple trees. The flowers are safe.
"WWAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRR! [picture of firetruck]
Is there a fire in the cherry blossom trees?
No, a kitten is stuck in the tree. Thanks to the firefighter for setting her free."
preschoolers and older toddlers will get more out of the question/answer puzzles, but younger toddlers will also listen with rapt attention.
large, engaging fold-out pictures of TRUCKS are sure to draw attention, and are sandwiched neatly between onomatopoeia sounds. This is definitely one of those books that will draw readers closer (they always want to touch the pages when they see things of great interest). Nice vocab, too.
"GZZZZZZZZZK! This backhoe is ready. The stabilizers are down.
Is the backhoe digging up the flowers?
No, it's digging a hole for new crab-apple trees. The flowers are safe.
"WWAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRR! [picture of firetruck]
Is there a fire in the cherry blossom trees?
No, a kitten is stuck in the tree. Thanks to the firefighter for setting her free."
preschoolers and older toddlers will get more out of the question/answer puzzles, but younger toddlers will also listen with rapt attention.
July 27, 2017
Great storytime read!
July 29, 2017
I am completely in love with William Low's painting style. Stunning.
August 17, 2017
This question and answer with flaps book is simple enough for toddlers and up. Each picture asks a question and the answer is behind the page sized flap. Smooth and easy to follow.
December 10, 2018
Kids will enjoy these large, foldout pictures.
April 20, 2021
Fun! I don't know how I've never seen this book before.
It has onomatopoeia, fold out pages, and trucks helping out. What more could you want?
It has onomatopoeia, fold out pages, and trucks helping out. What more could you want?
September 11, 2009
This is an outstanding "things that go" book, covering every genre of machines from backhoes to freight ships. Simple text makes this perfect for the youngest (and most appropriate) audience and gorgeous, colorful paintings show the machines and their operators hard at work. My favorite part is that you get to fold-out a page and see what the machines will do next. It's an original entry into a crowded field that can always use fresh work.
September 14, 2009
I am not a fan of truck books usually, but I loved the mini stories of the equipment in this book. Machines Go to Work is an amazing blend of detailed illustrations of the machines set against fabulous backgrounds. A truck book for boys, girls, and parents! (and librarians)
Watch the videos on Youtube where William Low discusses digital art.
Watch the videos on Youtube where William Low discusses digital art.
June 14, 2009
I liked it a lot, especially the fifties feeling illustrations, but the way the book is designed - the pages fold out completely - would be a guaranteed disaster in my library after just a few look-throughs. I would love to see the same story/question and answer format and illustrations in a large sturdy book with lift the flaps.
July 25, 2013
Great book. Good sound effects, nice short text, detailed pictures. The only thing I didn't like is how flimsy the fold-out pages are. My two-year-old tore one on the first day we had it- and it's a library book! (consternation!)
The last two pages are great- a small picture of each machine in the book, with a bit of text that explains a little more about what that machine does.
The last two pages are great- a small picture of each machine in the book, with a bit of text that explains a little more about what that machine does.
February 27, 2010
My favorite page is the one with the fire truck set against the cherry tree backdrop. It'll wake up your eyes.
Would be fun to read alongside I'm Dirty, as the machines in this one are extremely clean and polite.
Would be fun to read alongside I'm Dirty, as the machines in this one are extremely clean and polite.
May 27, 2015
8* art
2* text/concept
Maybe for an older toddler. Mine is too destructive. Riiiip! There goes that gorgeous extended page! And he doesn't quite follow the story. Will try again is a year or 2.
May 2015
3*
Yup, he likes it better now. Still pretty destructive, but he likes the story.
2* text/concept
Maybe for an older toddler. Mine is too destructive. Riiiip! There goes that gorgeous extended page! And he doesn't quite follow the story. Will try again is a year or 2.
May 2015
3*
Yup, he likes it better now. Still pretty destructive, but he likes the story.
September 22, 2009
The truck book for all those littel truck lovers plus mini stories about each vehicle and beautiful illustrations to capture the less truck loving.
September 24, 2009
Great art, and wonderful technique.
October 30, 2009
A good truck book for boys (and girls). The pull out flaps are perfect for lap sharing.
December 24, 2009
The pictures are really beautiful and the flaps make it interesting. A good book to give as a present.
November 20, 2011
This book shows and tells some machines at work, from the backhoe to fire trucks to ships and trains. It even has foldout pages. The young boys who like trucks and equipment will enjoy this book!
June 9, 2012
Three times in a row with my 21month old grandson. Toddler approved.
January 31, 2013
Fold-out and gate-fold pages reveal what each truck is doing. The computer-generated artwork looks like oil paintings; with the vehicles very detailed.
June 24, 2013
Just what you'd think.
June 23, 2013
Great fold out pages and illustrations. Good prompting on each page for kids!
January 24, 2014
Very good. Nice large pages and drawings with large full page flaps to lift. The book shows a large truck and then poses a scenario with a question for the child to answer.
May 14, 2014
beautiful illustrations
November 23, 2014
Had to read it over and over
December 8, 2014
This picture book feature construction equipment. Each page asks the reader to predict what will happen next, and then reveals it in a fold out page. Great for interactive read alouds!
September 2, 2015
This books has trucks, nice pictures and fold out pages, all makes for a fun book. At the end of the book it has all machines listed and what they do!
April 26, 2014
Great lift the flaps interaction for preschoolers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews