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Fix That Clock
A construction crew rebuilds a rickety old clock tower that has become home to wild animals in this picture book for fans of Sheep in a Jeep and Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site.
An underlying message of cooperation and conservation drives this rollicking introduction to counting and shapes.
The old clock tower used to stand tall and proud. Now, it's rusty, dusty, moldy, musty. A construction team decides to turn zigzags into squares and get the clock chiming again. But wait: what will happen to all the animals who have made this dilapidated clock their home?
Nothing can't be fixed and everyone is welcome in Fix That Clock, a celebration of hard work, compassion, and collaboration.
An underlying message of cooperation and conservation drives this rollicking introduction to counting and shapes.
The old clock tower used to stand tall and proud. Now, it's rusty, dusty, moldy, musty. A construction team decides to turn zigzags into squares and get the clock chiming again. But wait: what will happen to all the animals who have made this dilapidated clock their home?
Nothing can't be fixed and everyone is welcome in Fix That Clock, a celebration of hard work, compassion, and collaboration.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published November 26, 2019
2 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
January 31, 2020
Fix That Clock is a really fun little book. It incorporates rhymes, numbers, shapes, and onomatopoeia to create a cute story about the repair of a decrepit clock tower.
The old clock tower is falling apart. So three builders come along to fix it. As they repair and replace, they dislodge a number of critters that have made their homes in the tower. But these are kindhearted folks, and they take the animals into account when they finish the job. The book ends on a sweet note.
The meter of the rhyming text is pretty strong. There are sections where onomatopoeia is incorporated into the text, which would make it a treat to read aloud. The illustrations are lovely and full of detail. I really liked seeing all the little animals as a reminder that the humans were, essentially, disrupting a habitat; I liked seeing a compassionate resolution to this issue even more.
Overall, this is a fun book that would appeal to kids who like rhyming picture books, books about building, or books about animal habitats.
Quotable moment:
The old clock tower is falling apart. So three builders come along to fix it. As they repair and replace, they dislodge a number of critters that have made their homes in the tower. But these are kindhearted folks, and they take the animals into account when they finish the job. The book ends on a sweet note.
The meter of the rhyming text is pretty strong. There are sections where onomatopoeia is incorporated into the text, which would make it a treat to read aloud. The illustrations are lovely and full of detail. I really liked seeing all the little animals as a reminder that the humans were, essentially, disrupting a habitat; I liked seeing a compassionate resolution to this issue even more.
Overall, this is a fun book that would appeal to kids who like rhyming picture books, books about building, or books about animal habitats.
Quotable moment:
December 5, 2019
A lively rhyming story about cooperation and conversation as workers repair old clock that has become home to a variety of wildlife.
November 11, 2019
Richie’s Picks: FIX THAT CLOCK by Kurt Cyrus, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, November 2019, 40p., ISBN: 978-1-328-90408-9
“Inertia - a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged”
— online definition from prezi.com
“Some of them were angry
At the way the Earth was abused
By the men who learned how to forge her beauty into power
And they struggled to protect her from them
Only to be confused
By the magnitude of her fury in the final hour”
— Jackson Browne, “Before the Deluge” (1974)
“The United States began the formal process of leaving the Paris Agreement on climate change yesterday, withdrawing on the first day it was legally possible. Barring something unforeseen, the country will depart the accord on November 4, 2020--a day after the next presidential election.”
— from The Atlantic, “Trump Isn’t a Climate Denier. He’s Worse” (11/5/19)
“Wibble-wobble goes the clock,
shaking loose a noisy flock.
First, the flapping pigeons go;
second is the cawing crow;
third, the owl; then the bats,
swallows, sparrows, mice, and rats.
Flap and flutter! Scratch and hop!
Scramble to the tippy-top.”
When I was young, and we were in the midst of innovating our way to the moon, it felt like there were no limitations to what humankind might accomplish. Fifty years later, given the multitude of subsequent technological changes, flying to the moon feels less of a leap now than it did back then, as if moonwalking were just a few logical steps beyond the Wright Brothers.
Democratization of information is what amazes me. In our digital, Internet world, I am able to instantly access and share information like word definitions; song lyrics; written discussions of The Three R’s (reduce, reuse, and recycle); the history of the Human Potential Movement; what has happened anywhere in the world over the past hour; or whatever other searchable notion pops into my head.
And yet all of this computing power can’t readily solve the planet’s most pressing problem. Given the severity of the climate crisis, I have no confidence that, after I am gone, there will forever be an inhabitable planet on which my young grandchildren and their children can enjoy life--with or without screen time. And that’s why I embrace this book about repairing what’s broken, rather than bulldozing and replacing it
We thought the condition of our planet was problematic in the era of the first Earth Day. But those problems pale in comparison to today’s scientific predictions and the changes we are already experiencing.
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
Kurt Cyrus’s FIX THAT CLOCK is a lyrical picture book story in which a decrepit clock tower is renovated, bottom to top. The wood scraps that remain after completion of the project are then used to build little homes for the various critters who had been occupying the old tower.
It’s fun, it’s poetic, and it’s pleasurable to read aloud. I’ve been a fan of Kurt Cyrus’s illustration work going back two decades to THE SLOW TRAIN TO OXMOX. I especially appreciate that this book so wonderfully depicts craftsmanship in the employ of repair rather than to tear down, dispose, and replace.
Until and unless some major advances take place in our ability to produce energy, propel vehicles, provide food, and create consumer goods, without the unintended consequences to our planet that we are now witnessing, we need to put on the brakes for the sake of future generations. Particularly when so many corners of the world that have lagged behind us in economic prosperity are now demanding a share of the earth-destructive luxuries that have filled our lives over the past 75 years.
We need to fight inertia. Books like FIX THAT CLOCK will help introduce young people to the concept of repairing what is broken, rather than trashing what can be fixed. As they say, we’ve got to get this right, because there is no planet B.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
“Inertia - a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged”
— online definition from prezi.com
“Some of them were angry
At the way the Earth was abused
By the men who learned how to forge her beauty into power
And they struggled to protect her from them
Only to be confused
By the magnitude of her fury in the final hour”
— Jackson Browne, “Before the Deluge” (1974)
“The United States began the formal process of leaving the Paris Agreement on climate change yesterday, withdrawing on the first day it was legally possible. Barring something unforeseen, the country will depart the accord on November 4, 2020--a day after the next presidential election.”
— from The Atlantic, “Trump Isn’t a Climate Denier. He’s Worse” (11/5/19)
“Wibble-wobble goes the clock,
shaking loose a noisy flock.
First, the flapping pigeons go;
second is the cawing crow;
third, the owl; then the bats,
swallows, sparrows, mice, and rats.
Flap and flutter! Scratch and hop!
Scramble to the tippy-top.”
When I was young, and we were in the midst of innovating our way to the moon, it felt like there were no limitations to what humankind might accomplish. Fifty years later, given the multitude of subsequent technological changes, flying to the moon feels less of a leap now than it did back then, as if moonwalking were just a few logical steps beyond the Wright Brothers.
Democratization of information is what amazes me. In our digital, Internet world, I am able to instantly access and share information like word definitions; song lyrics; written discussions of The Three R’s (reduce, reuse, and recycle); the history of the Human Potential Movement; what has happened anywhere in the world over the past hour; or whatever other searchable notion pops into my head.
And yet all of this computing power can’t readily solve the planet’s most pressing problem. Given the severity of the climate crisis, I have no confidence that, after I am gone, there will forever be an inhabitable planet on which my young grandchildren and their children can enjoy life--with or without screen time. And that’s why I embrace this book about repairing what’s broken, rather than bulldozing and replacing it
We thought the condition of our planet was problematic in the era of the first Earth Day. But those problems pale in comparison to today’s scientific predictions and the changes we are already experiencing.
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
Kurt Cyrus’s FIX THAT CLOCK is a lyrical picture book story in which a decrepit clock tower is renovated, bottom to top. The wood scraps that remain after completion of the project are then used to build little homes for the various critters who had been occupying the old tower.
It’s fun, it’s poetic, and it’s pleasurable to read aloud. I’ve been a fan of Kurt Cyrus’s illustration work going back two decades to THE SLOW TRAIN TO OXMOX. I especially appreciate that this book so wonderfully depicts craftsmanship in the employ of repair rather than to tear down, dispose, and replace.
Until and unless some major advances take place in our ability to produce energy, propel vehicles, provide food, and create consumer goods, without the unintended consequences to our planet that we are now witnessing, we need to put on the brakes for the sake of future generations. Particularly when so many corners of the world that have lagged behind us in economic prosperity are now demanding a share of the earth-destructive luxuries that have filled our lives over the past 75 years.
We need to fight inertia. Books like FIX THAT CLOCK will help introduce young people to the concept of repairing what is broken, rather than trashing what can be fixed. As they say, we’ve got to get this right, because there is no planet B.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
January 2, 2020
An adorably illustrated tale of a small crew of workers rebuilding an old clock tower. I loved how the author included utilizing the reclaimed wood to re-home the tower’s furry and feathered residents.
April 21, 2022
Featured in a grandma reads session.
Things wear out, break down and generally decay - it's part of life. This old clock was at a permanent tilt and was on the community's list for destruction. Sadness hits the readers because there were a lot of animal families who called the old structure home. As the destruction begins to be shown on page after page, amenities begin to slip in. . .and soon it is clear, this is a rebuild, a resurrection, and restoration! Even the nests are upgraded! Mouse holes updated, and all residences refurbished.
A Very Satisfying read and nobody lost their home. . . .which was the #1 concern of my group.
Things wear out, break down and generally decay - it's part of life. This old clock was at a permanent tilt and was on the community's list for destruction. Sadness hits the readers because there were a lot of animal families who called the old structure home. As the destruction begins to be shown on page after page, amenities begin to slip in. . .and soon it is clear, this is a rebuild, a resurrection, and restoration! Even the nests are upgraded! Mouse holes updated, and all residences refurbished.
A Very Satisfying read and nobody lost their home. . . .which was the #1 concern of my group.
January 24, 2020
Very cute book. My son loved it.
February 13, 2020
Full of rhythm and rhyme, this picture book takes a broken down clock and rebuilds it. The clock is teetering and old, with the structure and the clock no longer functional. The only things that live in it are the wild animals who have moved in. So three builders arrive to change all of that. Floor-by-floor, they transform the zigzag of crooked walls into straight new boards and squares. The clock too gets reworked and soon the tower is straight and working once again. But what will happen to the little creatures who lived there?
This book was made to share aloud. It has such a jolly rhythm to it, with hammers banging, boots tramping, and the clock bonging. Still, Cyrus takes the time to tell a full story here, giving quieter moments where the reader gets to more fully understand the structure itself and the creatures who live there. It’s that contrast that really makes the book work as a read aloud, giving it a heart beyond the rhythm and rhyme.
Cyrus’ art is great, the old wood grayed and weathered by time contrasts with the fresh gold of the new wood. One can almost smell the sawdust as you turn the pages. The three builders are diverse as far as race and gender, which is very welcome to see. The use of interesting perspectives adds to the appeal visually.
A great choice for reading aloud for any units on construction or clocks. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
This book was made to share aloud. It has such a jolly rhythm to it, with hammers banging, boots tramping, and the clock bonging. Still, Cyrus takes the time to tell a full story here, giving quieter moments where the reader gets to more fully understand the structure itself and the creatures who live there. It’s that contrast that really makes the book work as a read aloud, giving it a heart beyond the rhythm and rhyme.
Cyrus’ art is great, the old wood grayed and weathered by time contrasts with the fresh gold of the new wood. One can almost smell the sawdust as you turn the pages. The three builders are diverse as far as race and gender, which is very welcome to see. The use of interesting perspectives adds to the appeal visually.
A great choice for reading aloud for any units on construction or clocks. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
March 15, 2020
A clock tower has fallen into disrepair. Rhyming text describes the current state and the rebuilding that occurs, as well as the occupants of the tower.
We see some colors (blue, black, pink, purple, red, green) and color words, as well as ordinals and cardinal number words (with one-to-one correspondence with the illustrations).
Most math/counting intensive page is
Seven steps upon a stair.
Six are tangled, one is bare.
Five are red. Two are green.
Four are thick and three are lean.
Three are solid. Four have rot.
Two are level, five are not.
One is nailed. Six have screws.
Nothing here that we can use.
Give a jiggle. Watch them fall.
Seven steps.
Replace them all.
I like how this shows every pair of numbers that adds to 7. You can also identify the appropriate steps for each line.
I think this really benefits from a slow read and good examination of the pictures.
We see some colors (blue, black, pink, purple, red, green) and color words, as well as ordinals and cardinal number words (with one-to-one correspondence with the illustrations).
Most math/counting intensive page is
Seven steps upon a stair.
Six are tangled, one is bare.
Five are red. Two are green.
Four are thick and three are lean.
Three are solid. Four have rot.
Two are level, five are not.
One is nailed. Six have screws.
Nothing here that we can use.
Give a jiggle. Watch them fall.
Seven steps.
Replace them all.
I like how this shows every pair of numbers that adds to 7. You can also identify the appropriate steps for each line.
I think this really benefits from a slow read and good examination of the pictures.
January 22, 2020
A bouncy rhyme and lots of onomatopoeia make this STEM-y picture book a great modern nursery rhyme. The illustrations show three characters, one tall and thin with brown skin and no hair visible beneath a hard hat, another medium height with pale skin and slightly longer dark hair, and the third a fatter person with white skin and buzz-short hair. The genders of the various characters are never stated; what's more important to the story is how well the team works together to repair the crumbling clock tower at its center.
Themes: Shapes, STEM, Building/Architecture, Teamwork
Age Range: 3-8
Themes: Shapes, STEM, Building/Architecture, Teamwork
Age Range: 3-8
March 21, 2020
I so appreciate Kurt Cyrus as an author and illustrator. His books aren't like everyone else's, and his detailed drawings and emphasis on math concepts are done better than in most picture books.
I read this, along with a number of other books, to my young nieces when I recently went for a visit, and it was a big hit - possibly tied with The Velveteen Rabbit even.
Excellent use of fun vocabulary and onomatopoeia.
Shows carpenters being careful with the wildlife (mice and birds)
All with a lovely surprise ending of how the clock tower is not only fixed, but improved.
I read this, along with a number of other books, to my young nieces when I recently went for a visit, and it was a big hit - possibly tied with The Velveteen Rabbit even.
Excellent use of fun vocabulary and onomatopoeia.
Shows carpenters being careful with the wildlife (mice and birds)
All with a lovely surprise ending of how the clock tower is not only fixed, but improved.
December 22, 2020
A fun construction book about rebuilding a clock tower. There are several pages where items are described and counted, so children could spend time finding the one stair that is nailed, the mouse running up a pant leg, or studying the shapes of the windows. Throughout the book, the text mentions that animals who are living in the clock, and at the end, it is nice to see the humans may have changed their home, but they also build little houses for the animals, so they are still welcome at the clock.
August 6, 2021
STEAM, Rhyming text, Collaboration, Conservation and Compassion - I love this book! It has rhyming, shapes, numbers, collaboration, stick-to-it-iveness. It shows different tools and supplies that you might use when building or fixing something. (This is a great story to add to a child's background knowledge which is an important part of early-literacy). It has many different people working together. The town's clock is in disrepair. There are birds and mice living there. Our crew can fix it up with tools and ingenuity, and everyone ends up with a home in the end.
January 1, 2020
3 workers arrive to repair a clock that is a bad state of disrepair. Cheerful and dynamic, this fun story is packed with great sound effects and plenty of action. The bright sharp illustrations are packed with details that so much to the story.
I especially love the new houses created for all the dislodged critters. This will make a good read aloud but there is so much to reward careful examination of the illustrations.
Perfect for young builders!
I especially love the new houses created for all the dislodged critters. This will make a good read aloud but there is so much to reward careful examination of the illustrations.
Perfect for young builders!
Read
January 3, 2020Adorable! In fun, rhythmic rhyming text that partially matches the cadence of Hickory Dickory Dock, this picture book shows a crumbling old clock and the steps that a group of builders take to fix it. This is sure to be a hit with young construction fans, but also add it to units on Mother Goose. My favorite part is at the end when the builders use their scraps to build houses for all the previous critter occupants of the clock (bats, swallows, mice).
February 3, 2020
I read this book with a 3 year old, and we loved it together. This was unexpected because the said child prefers pink books (think Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy, Disney princesses, Angelina Ballerina, etc.). But she loved it. The text has a rhythmical feel. The art is clear. There are things to look for in each picture, such as shapes, animals, colors, the parts of a clock. I would recommend this for a read-aloud for children of all sorts of reading preferences!! A fun book.
July 14, 2020
Fix That Clock is a beautiful story about a group of people getting together to fix this old falling apart clock. The carpenters, painters, and other helpful people go into it to gently help the "residents" in the clock tower get out while working on the clock tower. This is a great story that shows how we can work together to help make something functional and beautiful again.
Teamwork for the win!
Teamwork for the win!
Read
November 30, 2021I mean it's not the best book, it's cute but not the greatest. The rhyming was good but not the story itself. Literally all it was was the clock is broken (insert meme here), the workers fix it, the animals get new homes because their old home got destroyedish. On the plus side, the workers noticed that there were a lot of animals and they made the effort to make these homes because I know that a lot of workers don't really do that but it's nice to see that.
August 14, 2023
After reading about Clock Island in THE WISHING GAME, I came across this beautiful picture book. The team of renovators restore a beautiful mammoth clock called "the queen of clocks". This rhyming book also enlists onomatopoeia making it a terrific read-aloud. I loved the ending when remnants are used to build homes for the creatures who have been living in the clock. A great story of imagination and respect.
December 21, 2019
Another Saturday Stories success. Rhyming and onomatopoeia combine with a friendly, well representative construction crew AND a happy ending for the many little animals first portrayed as invasive pests in the story.
All around nice. Building/construction or rhyming/sound words themed story times will benefit from this read aloud.
All around nice. Building/construction or rhyming/sound words themed story times will benefit from this read aloud.
December 17, 2019
Wow, I absolutely loved this one! The pictures are so clean and crisp. The text works for the most part. Fixing a clock is a really interesting idea, and I am partial to gears myself. It's fun to see how the clock comes together like new and how everyone and everything is involved in it.
December 31, 2019
A tale told in rhyme about a construction crew that repairs and restores an old clock tower, and in the process of cooperation maintains the habitats of the many animals that had once made the abandoned clock their home.
January 4, 2020
A fun rhyming book that depicts the rehab of a tumbledown clock tower. Lots of animal residents, lots of onomatopoeia! This will be fun to use with the Ks and 1s with some building activities in the makerspace.
February 26, 2020
This book was a lot of fun to read! It’s got different simple math ideas sprinkled in, plus lots of construction happening. The text is rhyming and has a good rhythm. The pictures are full of hilarious details. My kids asked to read it 3 times on the first day. (ages 2,4,6)
May 11, 2020
With a delightful rhyme and bright illustrations, this story would make a wonderful companion to Hickory Dickory Dock. I love that at the end, all the animals who’ve lost their homes because of the repair, have new homes built in.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2020
Lyrical,, rhyming text chronicles the fixing of an old town clock. I really like rhyming text for read -alouds and these verses fit the bill. Use of repetitive sounds will have kids filled with delight.
July 22, 2020
As other reviewers said, I loved the counting, numbers, shapes, rhymes & onomatopoeia of this book! I think this could be a great mentor text for a Picture-Perfect Science lesson - educators could do a culminating lesson with woodworking, clocks, birdhouses, anything. Maybe even a library makerspace collaboration? I remember doing wood & nail projects in preK and at home and loving them! : )
December 9, 2019
Really liked it was super cute
December 11, 2019
Great read-aloud with fascinating illustrations of renovating an old clock. Tools, animals, all sorts of things to grab your attention in this one. Recommended for ages 4-6.
December 13, 2019
My 3- and 5- year old grandsons loved this book.
December 16, 2019
A crew works on a rickety clock tower.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews