Construction

Construction Crew

by Sally Sutton, Brian Lovelock (Illustrator)

Hoist the wood. Hoist the wood. Chain and hook and strap. Swing it round, then lower it down. Thonk! Clonk! Clap! Build the frame. Build the frame. Hammer all day long. Make the stairs and floors and walls. Bing! Bang! Bong!

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

Sally Sutton is an Auckland playwright and children’s writer. Her first picture book, "Crazy Kiwi Tops and Tails", was published by Penguin in 2006. "Roadworks" will be her third picture book. She lives in the bush-clad suburb of Birkenhead with her husband and children

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not really a book that wows me personally, but they enjoyed it and I can appreciate what is presented. It's nice to see the construction of the building as it progresses and I especially like that the building in question is a library! ;-)

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Join in the exciting adventure of building a new library, with Construction by Sally Sutton.

From digging the ground, to painting the walls, you are with the team for every step of the big build.

Each page is about a different aspect of the build, and is written in a rhyme, with added sounds of the machinery/tools at the end of each sentence. One thing that I noticed myself doing was reading it in the voice of Bert from Mary Poppins, as each sentence starts with the same phrase twice. ‘Build the frame. Build the frame’.

The book has bright, colourful, bold illustrations, that children will love looking at. At the back of the book is an illustrated glossary of the different types of machinery and safety equipment that was used during the construction.

I think youngsters, especially ‘digger mad’ little ones, will love this book. I just wish that they were building more libraries in real life, rather than closing them down.

Reviewed by Stacey at www.whisperingstories.com

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm usually a sucker for books with word play or onomatopoeia, and this one has plenty of the latter. Fans of big machines will enjoy watching them at work and shouting out the sounds they make as they put things into place. While most picture books featuring machines such as cranes and excavators describe the sound made by the vehicles, this one takes a different approach. The rhyming text and illustrations, created with pigmented inks, showcase the machines but then go a step further to reveal what they've all been working to construct--a library! It's hard to resist a book that pairs a construction site with a refuge for bibliophiles.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was selected as one of the books for the April 2018 - Building and Engineering discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

The rhyming narrative, the onomatopoeia, and the vibrantly colorful illustrations are sure to please young children. My favorite part, by far is the final product of the construction activity.

The illustrations, created using pigmented inks are cartoonish and filled with action scenes of the workers' activities. I like that the last page provides more information and emphasizes the special safety clothing and equipment required.

The endpapers feature a photograph of a bunch of nuts that might be used with bolts on a construction site. Overall, an entertaining book for children who love trucks and building/construction sites.

[Melenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was difficult to read aloud. It didn't flow very well.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandson is into construction vehicles so I thought he’d like this book but he wasn’t a fan. He’s 2.5 years old and I wondered if it was because the book wasn’t focused solely on vehicles or if it was the book’s text. The book is focused on building a library so we had painters, plumbers, and movers, working with the construction team.

The first part of the book the construction team is getting the building ready. They’re digging the holes, poring the concrete, adding the walls and floors until they finally put the roof on. It’s now time for the inside of the building to get finished. Pipes, wires, paint, and furniture are added. Finally, the books are placed in their assigned spot, the door opens up wide, and a new adventure awaits.

I enjoyed the illustrations in this book as they’re bright and colorful. They don’t show a lot of detail but just enough to get the point across. The last page in the book has some Machine Facts which discuss the different trucks in the book. I thought the rhyming text was a bit too much for me. I can see some individuals liking it but the words on some of the pages, just didn’t make any sense to me and I had to do some eye-rolling. Some kids like this silly talk yet I thought other words could have been used which would have made more sense on these pages. It’s a good book to read about how a library is constructed and I think most children will enjoy it. 4 stars

“Build the frame. Build the frame.
Hammer all day long.
Make the stairs and floors and walls.
Bing! Bang! Bong!"

"Fill the holes. Fill the holes.
Let the concrete drop.
Spread it fast before it sets.
Sloosh! Slosh! Slop!"

[alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty basic but the kids went crazy for the onomatopoeia

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good display book if your library is undergoing a renovation project.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

How often do you see the construction process of a LIBRARY??
Lots of yellow with huge black letters repeat short rhyming phrases ending in onomatopoeic words with same pattern on each double page spread.
The end papers show a photograph of hardware nuts - dark and gray, but don't seem to fit with the rest of the book. Includes a few 'Machine Facts' at the end.
I love the invitation at the end to borrow and READ!

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that this book is a very simple explanation for young children as to how a building is constructed from the ground up. I also liked the fact that it turned out to be a library!

[Mama Bibliosoph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roadwork, Construction, and Demolition are amazing books that will appeal to kids who love construction vehicles and watching, from start to finish, how workers use trucks and machines to transform a site or complete a project. Roadwork shows a new highway being dug, paved, wired, and painted. Construction is the story of a library being built. And in Demolition an old building is taken down so the land can be re-developed into a playground.

Sutton uses a driving, pulsing rhythm and rhyme scheme that communicates a lot of excitement. Each stanza ends with sound words that accurately convey, through onomatopoeia, the noise the machine makes. It’s extremely clear that author and illustrator have done a ton of research for each book, and children who read these will learn a lot about the nuts and bolts of construction.

Lovelock’s illustrations in all three books are wonderfully diverse, both racially and in representation of women. Sutton’s story choices (building a playground, a library, and doing roadwork) are highly relevant to children, and that personal connection about how this work builds something that kids use is what makes this trio of books so special. A brilliant, well-executed series for construction vehicle lovers.

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I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is part of a longer post on books for kids who really love trucks: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/20-boo...

[Taylor Queen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Construction” by Sally Sutton, illustrated by Brian Lovelock, is a fun informational book for readers wanting to learn about construction! This book takes you through the process of building an entire structure from start to finish. In the end the result was a great, educational surprise! Some important literary elements were the use of repetition of phrases on each page as well as the same set up making it easy for readers to expect what's to come, and the use of onomatopoeia. The onomatopoeia was a great touch because it was super fun to read those sound words. Some interesting design elements include illustrating each scene to take up the entire double page when open, and emphasizing the sound words with larger and bolder fonts. This book is an engaging read for any reader interested in construction or just looking to enjoy a fun book. It is definitely an entertaining, informational read!

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appropriate Grade Level: pre k-3rd

Summary: This books describes construction in a way that young readers can understand. With images of construction machines, the reader is able to learn about what it takes to construct something. It is a very informative text that uses pictures to display its message.

Review: The illustrations in this book are great aids for describing how construction happens. The visuals give the reader a clear scene of what construction is. It is a text that gives a lot of information to the reader.

In Class Use: read aloud, discuss construction, draw illustrations to go along with book

[Maggie Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great book for children of all ages. Its all about the steps to building a building. Once the book is finished the construction crew had created a library. There are sound words through out the book of what the crew is doing. The illustration through this book is adorable, and goes through the steps of creating a building. At the end of the book there is a page that shows the machines that the construction crew used. They show what they are called and what they are used for. This book would be the best for boys, but it would be the best for children that are in grades 1-4.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son received a set of three of these books for his first birthday and this one is by far his favourite. It's not uncommon for us to finish reading Construction to him and put it away, only for him to immediately bring it back for multiple consecutive re-reads. The rhyming noises keep him interested and the pictures are simple but easy enough for him to identify what's going on - so when the truck appears on one page he goes and retrieves his toy truck and drives it over the page.

[Taylor Volker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Construction machines are seen all the time. This book has rhyming phrases that will teach children all about building a building from digging the area you need to building the build from ground up. Sound words such as thump, slap, slip are all words added to the story to bring it to life. The book adds different views such as top down and bottom to top.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

If your child is into construction vehicles, this is a decent book. It was fun to read and the illustrations are quite good. The text rhymes in a simple meter and it is fun to watch as the construction workers make progress on their building. I was actually heartened to see that the building in question was a library unlike some other construction books we've read (high rises, etc.).

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of of onomatopoeia and construction vehicles and tools for all those curious minds. The last page contains facts about the various machines highlighted in the book, most of which will be a little less familiar to children, such as a concrete pumping truck, a loader crane, and the auger attachment on the excavator. Nuts fill the end papers to round off the book.

[Cathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute book, with fun rhymes and colorful illustrations. The thing that's most fun is the way the building is constructed, and near the end you realize that a library has been built. My three-year-old grandson enjoyed it a lot. He's obsessed with construction vehicles, so I figured he'd like it. It was so fun to have him here visiting and to read this together!

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A construction book was a must have for Dad’s little apprentice. A hot new favourite for them to read together. Construction has it all- repetition, rhyme, onomatopoeia, and bright engaging illustrations to talk about. Loved finding out what the end product of the construction is. We’ll be back for more of Sutton’s books for sure.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

My class really enjoyed this book. The kids are very interested in construction and kept trying to guess what they were making during the story.

This book shows how a library is constructed but the kids won't find out until the end what is being built. This has great onomatopoeia.

[Jessika Brokel]

This book is about what it takes to build a building and how it happens. This book starts from demolition all the way to when the building is finished. How big machines and workers dig, hoist, and hammer at a building until its done.

[Muriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different genders represented, based on some characters having a ponytail and reddish mouths - and no pronouns in the text. A great rhyming book to read aloud to our toddler that loves excavators and tractors. In the end, they're building a library and reading encouraged for kiddos. 💜

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a favourite with both my boys - along with the others in the series. Love the onomatopoeia and it really encourages them to join in. Illustrations are excellent and great rhythmic, rhyming text. This is probably my favourite in the series.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved what building it was in the end :) Again stumble over the 3 sound words per page but fun read. I like how it shows the variety of jobs in construction and building something. My son wants me to read the machine facts page in the back every time.

[Emily Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book as a whole isn't exactly spectacular, but it works well for a construction-themed storytime. The children enjoyed guessing what was being built and were excited to see a library at the end, so that was fun.

[Steven Strothman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to teach onomatopoeia. Has fantastic sound words rhyming with traditional words.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sounds were good, but I had a hard time with the rhythm of this one. I don't think I'd enjoy it for reading aloud.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The built it up, quickly, quickly. (That's from "Bob the Builder"!)

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, snappy, onomatopoeic look at building a new library. Fun to read aloud.