Built to Last

by Minh Lê, Dan Santat (Illustrator)

Meet two friends who think they're building imaginative worlds with blocks but come to realize they've been building something far greater--a sturdy, solid friendship--in this picturebook by award-winning creators.

Two kids build entire worlds out of blocks, cardboard, and imagination. From boats attacked by a sea creature to a castle crumbling into the ocean. And they don’t mind when these creations break apart and CRASH to the floor. In fact, they think it’s pretty funny! Every time, a creation falls apart, they pick up the pieces and keep building bigger and better.

But when their latest masterpiece tumbles down in spectacular fashion, the boys aren’t laughing anymore. Have these two friends reached their breaking point?

Playful text by wordsmith Minh Le and dazzling illustrations by artisan Dan Santat showcase their close collaboration in their latest picturebook. As merry as it is moving, here is a story that recognizes the friendships in life that are truly built to last.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Fiction, Storytime, Adventure, Aapi

Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2024

About the author

Minh Lê is the author of Drawn Together illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat and Let Me Finish! (named an NPR Best Book of 2016) illustrated by Isabel Roxas (both published by Disney-Hyperion). He is also writing Green Lantern: Legacy, a graphic novel (illustrated by Andie Tong) for the new DC Comics middle grade imprint, DC Zoom. As a member of the kidlit consortium The Niblings, he writes about children's literature at Bottom Shelf Books and for a variety of publications, including the New York Times, The Horn Book, and HuffPost.

Reviews

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book for my toddler's bedtime. Great story about friendship. The author and the illustrator's friendship to be exact. Their friendship started when they were little with the same love for building blocks. Each time they built, it turned into bigger and better but it also crashed spectacularly. Still, they didn't give up and started again. Until one day, another catastrophe after the big built, they gave up and walked separate ways. But memories of their time together brought them back again and this time their friendship made it possible to build something that will "stand the test of time." Excellent illustration. My toddler and I loved the city on top of the turtle.

Thank you Penguinkids for the opportunity to read and review.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

These two can do no wrong in my eyes. I love when they create books together. A beautiful picture book about the ups and downs of friendships.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Built to Last is a really cute story about creativity and friendship, with two boys building things together even when they don't work out, but their friendship is the one thing that's built to last. The art is great and the story is sweet. Recommended!

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two young children become fast friends over building blocks. They create wondrous creations that are, inevitably, destroyed by some outside force. Eventually the boys want to build something that lasts and doesn't have to be repaired. In the process they learn that sometimes repairs are what makes something durable.

A great book about friendships and perseverance. Recommended for storytime.

[Madison LibraryBookFamily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two boys become friends through a building disaster. They continue to built bigger and better creations that end in bigger disasters. Can their friendship weather the destruction?
Sweet, beautiful, and with a poignant message I can see this being popular in the elementary crowd.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My students LOVED this book. Drawn Together has been a favorite for years, and while this book focuses on a friendship between two children instead of the connection between a grandfather and grandson, they still found it heartwarming and smart.

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was in the middle of reading this one, I got teary-eyed. I kept thinking of all the times people are building and rebuilding after big storms like Helene or man made disasters like war and how this book perfectly encapsulates human resilience. At its surface, it’s about two boys who just want to build as many worlds as they can. But on a deeper level, it’s about how we pick ourselves up after each destruction and we continue on. What a wonderful message to give to kids. And the illustrations? Of course they are amazing because they are from Dan Santat!

Mia’s Year of Books: Day 207

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning illustrations and a well-executed story about friendship. The representation - especially about the importance and bonds of friendship between two boys, which I don't see in children's stories that often - was refreshing, and I loved the imagery of what they built together. While I enjoyed the use of onomatopoeia throughout, the story fell a little flat for me (maybe too over-simplified, without much of a real conflict/climax, and the ending so foreshadowed with the cover and title.)

[Feliciana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Minh Lê and Dan Santat always bring beauty together. ❤️

[Christine Lucia Asha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Building projects and building friendships. Fun story and lesson.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a 3.5 but I love the illustrations. 2 kids meet when a building out of blocks crashes down. They continue building together and having things not work more spectacularly. Finally when much older, a project crashes with them mad at each other. Then they realize their friendship is worth more than the failure of their project. Nice story that a lot of parents will appreciate.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful picture book, with larger than life illustrations and a strong central metaphor between building and friendship that will be powerful even for small children.

The text describes two friends who enjoy tinkering and making new things together. They meet as toddlers by accidentally knocking over each other’s block towers. They get a little older and their creations get a bit more elaborate, until the pair are dreaming of building cities full of skyscrapers and mechanical flying dragons. Their masterpieces often fall apart, but they are unfazed and ready to start again- until one disaster shakes the foundations (heh, heh) of their long friendship. Happily our friends realize that their bond as friends is the most valuable thing they could have crafted together, and that “Some things deserve to be repaired, no matter how many times they break.”

The illustrations by Santat are striking contrasts- one spread of fantastical beasts in a dreamy landscape, followed by the real-life scene of a cat destroying a tower of Tinkertoys. In the same page we see a city that’s half as they see it in their minds’ eye- flying cars, neon signs- and half as it is in reality, constructed of brightly colored wooden blocks that are in the midst of crashing down. Santat is also skilled at rendering facial expressions that communicate a lot without many details, especially in the climax where the friends consider parting ways, one whose face suggests frustration and resentment, the other’s painted with embarrassment and regret.

The comparison between building a physical object and building an emotional bond is so well written that even literal minded and/or very young children will understand the similarities.

I knew Le and Santat had worked together before, but this is the first collaboration of theirs I’ve read. I will be looking for the others!

4/5 stars.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two imaginative boys who might otherwise never have connected find a commonality in building in this picture book [3.5 for me!], which is a tribute to the friendship between the author and the illustrator. Starting first with blocks of different sizes, they graduate to increasingly complicated materials and structures. It seems that their partnership drives them to higher heights and more fantastic creations. Unfortunately, just as happened in their first meeting, their projects tend to end in disaster. As they reflect on the wreckage of their various efforts, the boys realize what IS built to last--their friendship. While I love the sentiments expressed in this story and the out-of-this-world originality of their building as depicted in the illustrations, created with colored pencil, watercolor, and Adobe Photoshop, the text seemed to tread familiar territory, especially since the conclusion is hinted at so obviously in the book's title. Still, it's encouraging to have a picture book to share with others that shows the importance of friendship between two boys whose bond was cemented by all that building and who seem to have been able to accomplish more together than alone. The use of onomatopoeia such as "BANG," "CRUNCH," and "SMASH" in large, colorful font adds visual appeal to the artwork as does the inclusion of extreme close-ups on some pages; for instance, the double-page spread of a very surprised cat lying atop one of their squashed structures or the double-page spread showing a hand of each boy clutching figures of each other a it dawns on them just how important that friendship is, built to last and worth repairing when necessary. This one will be popular with young readers.

[Cheryl]

I assume the adults who are sharing this with kids will make the theme about the lasting friendship because otherwise the metaphor might get lost for more literal kids (I might not have gotten it when I was a young independent reader).

Some adults, like me, might have trouble parsing the illustrations. The idea of most of each spread is what the kids are imagining and talking about, so these fantastic images dominate. But there's also a corner or other small space giving a hint about how the construction is actually being accomplished. I would have liked more white space and also more images of blocks, bricks, cardboard, etc.

I also don't understand how the friendship came to be in danger. Did they blame each other for that particular 'failure?'

Can't rate; it's not the book, I'm sure, but just me.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It all starts with a crash! When two young kids meet they become building buddies, developing wilder projects and their friendship, with each disaster and redesign. Lê and Santat have upped their game with this heartfelt and lesson-filled picture book. As each build comes crashing down, the creators expand on the vocabulary and let out a roaring sound effect. As one might expect, these kids can only take so many mistakes though. While the creators never paint their disasters as failures, they do acknowledge that their are consequences, disappointment and frustration chief among them. Through its minimalist text and expressive art, readers will learn a helpful mindset for both engineering catastrophes and friendship fall-outs.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love Minh Le and his story telling and I love Dan Santat and his art and story telling. These two together are a powerhouse.

The artwork is amazing. It's everything I love about Dan Santat. It's beautiful and colorful and gets the imagaination working and also cute.

I think the two boys in the story are the authors. It's a story about friendship. These two love building things together. They build things, they fall apart, then they build something even bigger. They get in a tiff about something and get mad at each other. Still, they know the important thing is their friendship. They preserve that.

I thought this was a good story, but not one of their best works. It's solid and fun. Subtle.

[Alizah Kamran]

This book explores great themes and has a vibrant illustrations because of the engaging story. It focuses on her families can be built to last even when facing challenges. The story is a celebration of culture identity and resilience highlighting values passed down from generation. The intended audience for this book our elementary readers because of the themes and engaging in illustrations. Key themes are family and heritage, perseverance, and resilience. This book will be great in a classroom because of the conversations it can start about culture heritage, self identity, and resilience in Waze children can't understand and appreciate. It makes a suitable for various backgrounds and helping the young readers build pride and telling their own family stories.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is all about building and keeping a solid foundation of friendship through all of the ups, downs, and struggles. The characters work hard throughout the book to keep their friendship alive through all of the struggles. Both of these two (author/illustrator) have come together to form this HUGE powerhouse. Santat has created beautiful works of art on each page using watercolor, colored pencil, and also Photoshop. His creations are really what make this story POP off the pages. This book covers such a huge topic, friendship, but it does it in such an easy way for any age to understand. This book would be perfect for any K-3rd reader. I can see many teachers gravitating towards this book! (Diamond 25-26)

[Elena L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

[4.5/5 stars]

This is a story about two boys who became friends by accident. In their attempts to build things, real and imaginary, the creations always came tumbling down and they wonder what creation would last. Highly imaginative, the playful text and vibrant art impress readers in this metaphorical story. It is about the beauty of friendship, regardless of its flaws. This book is adorable and readers will easily connect with the story and characters. I found the message utterly precious. Highly recommend!

[ I received a complimentary copy from the publisher - Random House Kids . All opinions are my own ]

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two friends meet over blocks and continue to create together. A picture book with the insanely gorgeous art of Santat, Le’s prose is simple but effective - the journey is the pleasure of life, the creation process is the place where we learn and grow, and friendships are more than moments - they are shared history and forgiveness and the pursuit of a goal. This story is a lovely quick read for storytime, whether it is at a rug or before bedtime, and it lends itself to multiple readings if for the art alone. I love that the characters are constantly building, failing, celebrating successes, and reveling in the enjoyment of a passion. Beautiful!

[Jonelle McIntyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Built to Last by Minh Lê was a very cute book about the importance of maintaining relationships, even when they get a little rocky at times. The illustrations were colorful and enjoyable, but I wish I could say the story was simple enough for my niece to follow. She mostly looked at it as if it were just about building and fixing blocks, without picking up on the deeper meaning. Because of that, I think this book might be better suited for older children who can read between the lines and grasp the message about relationships. All in all, I’d give it a 10/10, it’s thoughtful, creative, and has a sweet underlying theme.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Built to Last appears to be a story about two friends and their repeated attempts to create things real and imaginary. Each creation seems to always come tumbling down and the two boys realize that that they have built one thing -- a friendship -- that will last. It is a great metaphorical story that can be shared with audiences at many ages. Santat won the Caldecott for The Adventures of Beekle. He' re his illustrations capture the contrasts between building real and imagined worlds. The book uses many noise words which invite interaction with the readers.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minh Lê and Dave Santat have collaborated on a book about building a lasting friendship - while building with blocks, LEGO, tinker toys, cardboard and anything else you can imagine to use for construction! Of course, as with any project, things do not always go smoothly. And that is where the true friendship building occurs.
I read an interview where Santat and Lê talk about the book and how the design of the two characters is based on them and their friendship. Be sure to peek under the dust jacket - the cover of the book is pretty fishy!

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two best friends are brought together as toddlers when they bump into each other, knocking down the bock towers they were building separately. Agreeing to build together instead, the two come up with a montage of wildly imaginative creations. Though their projects are always destroyed, they find that the fun is in building and in their friendship.
A fun tribute to friendship and imagination by a real-life pair of friends. I doubt this book will be up for YMAs like previous collaborations from this pair, but it is suitable tribute all the same.

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two friends who meet over a happy accident, share their passion for building, their quest for making something that lasts, their frustrations over failures, and what they've learned is the most important thing in their building partnership.

Aww, this is unexpectedly really sweet and meaningful at the end. And has a great message about investing in friendships and building them to last. It also has a good message about learning from mistakes and persevering, even when projects repeatedly fail. And I loved Santat's illustrations accompanying the story. Highly recommended.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le and Santat have worked together on several books. This one has a strong message about friendship and relationships. The two friends in this story met by accident when they were young. Each was building something and realized that together, they could build even wilder creations. Sadly, they all broke or were destroyed by other forces - cats, dragons. When they finally build their masterpiece, it too breaks. It's only then that they realize what they've truly built to last. A fun read aloud for families and classes.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about commitment and imagination, and the work that is required to build both physical things and the more intangible relationships in our lives. The text is simple but moving, the illustrations detailed and dynamic.

For storytime purposes, there are ample opportunities for onomatopoeic exclamations, as well as cat meows and dragon roars. The emotional journey of the characters allows for talking through feelings of disappointment and apology, and at the end we all hugged someone with whom we have a relationship that is "built to last."

[Mrs.MakesReadingFun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Loved Loved!
I really enjoyed this heartwarming story about two good friends, who love building and creating together. It has a great message about how our projects sometimes break and fall down, and that’s okay- we can always build something new! It also ends with the beautiful lesson that friendships may face challenges, but they are worth repairing. Some friendships are truly “built to last”.

As always, Dan Santat lends his expressive and creative illustrations to this wonderful story!

[Karen Kline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This award-winning author & illustrator team come together again to remind us that when we work together we are building a friendship. Two young boys bump into each other as they build with blocks. The blocks come tumbling down, but their budding friendship lays a foundation for more projects.

The art is lively and animated with movement and depicts real world and fantasy. Readers will be inspired to keep going and persist as they contemplate the deeper message of the book.

Nominated for the WA State Picture Book Award for 2025.

[Nicole Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.

This beautiful book is all about friendship and pushing past the fights and mistakes. I love that it starts with the idea of physically building something together and that the first time they meet was an accident/mistake in itself. This continues in that only through another accident, they discover what truly matters. Another great one by Lê and Santat, sure to find a place in any classroom or home library.