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Builders & Breakers
Experience the bustling energy of an urban construction site with Steve Light's colorful celebration of builders, breakers, and the machines they use.
When their dad forgets his lunch box on his way to the construction site, a young brother and sister set out to take it to him, and along their way witness all the noisy, exciting action of a build site in the city. With builders building, breakers breaking, and a whole host of impressive machines and vehicles hard at work, this book bursts with color and offers children plenty to enjoy. In his trademark intricate style, Steve Light captures the satisfaction of working hard to create something new -- and, of course, taking a well-deserved break.
When their dad forgets his lunch box on his way to the construction site, a young brother and sister set out to take it to him, and along their way witness all the noisy, exciting action of a build site in the city. With builders building, breakers breaking, and a whole host of impressive machines and vehicles hard at work, this book bursts with color and offers children plenty to enjoy. In his trademark intricate style, Steve Light captures the satisfaction of working hard to create something new -- and, of course, taking a well-deserved break.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2018
1 person is currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Steve Light
44 books61 followersSteve Light grew up in an enchanted place known as New Jersey. He went on to study Illustration at Pratt Institute, he also studied with Dave Passalacqua. Upon graduating he did some corporate illustrations for companies such as: AT&T, Sony Films, and the New York Times Book Review. Steve Light then went on to design buttons that were acquired by the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum. He has since published several children’s books with various publishers. He has read and told stories all over including The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and The Milwaukee Museum of Art.
Steve loves to draw. He draws everyday whether it is drawing in his sketchbook or on fancy paper for an illustration. Steve loves fountain pens and collects these ancient artifacts in order to draw with them. He also loves making things. Steve usually makes things like sculptures and toys out of wood. Steve loves sharing his art and stories with children.
Steve loves to draw. He draws everyday whether it is drawing in his sketchbook or on fancy paper for an illustration. Steve loves fountain pens and collects these ancient artifacts in order to draw with them. He also loves making things. Steve usually makes things like sculptures and toys out of wood. Steve loves sharing his art and stories with children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
February 12, 2019
When their father leaves his lunch behind one day, two children pursue him to his construction work site, witnessing the building and breaking, breaking and building, that together make up the process of creating structures...
With a minimal text and his signature eye-popping artwork, author/illustrator Steve Light crafts a lovely picture-book tribute to the creation of architectural wonders in Builders & Breakers. His afterword, which contains more text than the entire rest of the book, discusses his love of classical, Gothic and art deco styles of architecture. Having greatly enjoyed Light's Have You Seen My Dragon? and Have You Seen My Monster? , I really appreciated this one, with its return to that same illustrative style. I don't know that I would have followed the 'story' that well, if I hadn't already known what it was going in, but leaving that issue aside, this is one I would recommend, both to Steve Light fans, and to any child who enjoys tales about construction sites and/or the construction process.
With a minimal text and his signature eye-popping artwork, author/illustrator Steve Light crafts a lovely picture-book tribute to the creation of architectural wonders in Builders & Breakers. His afterword, which contains more text than the entire rest of the book, discusses his love of classical, Gothic and art deco styles of architecture. Having greatly enjoyed Light's Have You Seen My Dragon? and Have You Seen My Monster? , I really appreciated this one, with its return to that same illustrative style. I don't know that I would have followed the 'story' that well, if I hadn't already known what it was going in, but leaving that issue aside, this is one I would recommend, both to Steve Light fans, and to any child who enjoys tales about construction sites and/or the construction process.
November 27, 2018
Putting aside the fact that children would not be allowed on the jobsite without hard hats (there's a lot of disbelief to suspend) the storyline is cool and I LOVED the illustrations.
October 30, 2018
Experience the bustling energy of an urban construction site with Steve Light’s colorful celebration of builders, breakers, and the machines they use.
When their dad forgets his lunch box on his way to the construction site, a young brother and sister set out to take it to him, and along their way witness all the noisy, exciting action of a build site in the city. With builders building, breakers breaking, and a whole host of impressive machines and vehicles hard at work, this book bursts with color and offers children plenty to enjoy. In his trademark intricate style, Steve Light captures the satisfaction of working hard to create something new — and, of course, taking a well-deserved break.
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
Fun and creative illustrations fill this basic picture book for first readers.
A wonderful concept introducing architecture, building cities/buildings and how it’s done. Lots of action, bright colors and an easy to follow plot are pulled together in an excellent book for little children just learning tense and word structures larger than four letters/five letters.
Great for ages six, seven and eight or those who struggle with word building, phonics and grammar.
When their dad forgets his lunch box on his way to the construction site, a young brother and sister set out to take it to him, and along their way witness all the noisy, exciting action of a build site in the city. With builders building, breakers breaking, and a whole host of impressive machines and vehicles hard at work, this book bursts with color and offers children plenty to enjoy. In his trademark intricate style, Steve Light captures the satisfaction of working hard to create something new — and, of course, taking a well-deserved break.
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
Fun and creative illustrations fill this basic picture book for first readers.
A wonderful concept introducing architecture, building cities/buildings and how it’s done. Lots of action, bright colors and an easy to follow plot are pulled together in an excellent book for little children just learning tense and word structures larger than four letters/five letters.
Great for ages six, seven and eight or those who struggle with word building, phonics and grammar.
November 6, 2018
I enjoyed Steve Light's "Black Bird, Yellow Sun", and now here is another "flight of fancy" where two children run off to find their dad who's forgotten his lunch box. He works at a construction site, thus the reader meets the "Builders & Breakers", those two introduced at the beginning along with other parts as the story progresses into detailed and varied scenes from a construction site. Those two kids are there, searching, searching, and until the end, no luck. However, on the search, there are many things to see and some astound, especially in two vertical double-page spreads. The second one is when "Diggers dig down, down, down." showing how that excavation works with the help of workers and cranes, even showing hidden dinosaur bones. Many details invite slow poring over the pages. There is an interesting letter from the author at the back explaining the need for both a builder and a breaker to achieve balance in construction. Endpapers are filled with examples of architectural drawings.
December 26, 2019
Short and simple story with direction words, great vocabulary, and possibly a great book for a STEM storytime.
The construction minded child would love this one.
The construction minded child would love this one.
August 10, 2020
When Dad forgets his lunch at home, his two kids are sent to bring it to him at the construction site, where they encounter a crew of builders and breakers hard at work. The illustrations are the true standout in this construction themed picture book, especially Steve Light’s fanciful architecture designs. The scenes at the construction site are a feast for the eyes, packed with workers and trucks bustling in all directions. Light’s use of hatching and action lines, plus the mottled paint, gives the book a somewhat gritty feel, perfect for a story set in a dusty construction site. Two of my favorite pages require the reader to rotate the book, making use of the full length of the pages to show the cranes hoisting up, up, up and diggers digging down, down, down.
Light introduces his readers to some great vocabulary (ex: "welders," "hoist). There's also some very clever wordplay in places, such as "After build time... comes break time" - with "break" here meaning lunch break. Plentiful action words and use of onomatopoeia make this a good storytime pick to encourage audience participation. There are some good opposite pairs (up/down, build/break) as well.
The narrative probably could have been a little more cohesive in places, as not all of the workers and construction equipment fit the builder/breaker theme, such as the crane and the wheelbarrow. I was also confused about the overarching storyline at first, since it starts before the title page. I think most young readers won't be bothered, however. Construction site books are always a big hit with kids and I can definitely see myself using this at storytime.
Light introduces his readers to some great vocabulary (ex: "welders," "hoist). There's also some very clever wordplay in places, such as "After build time... comes break time" - with "break" here meaning lunch break. Plentiful action words and use of onomatopoeia make this a good storytime pick to encourage audience participation. There are some good opposite pairs (up/down, build/break) as well.
The narrative probably could have been a little more cohesive in places, as not all of the workers and construction equipment fit the builder/breaker theme, such as the crane and the wheelbarrow. I was also confused about the overarching storyline at first, since it starts before the title page. I think most young readers won't be bothered, however. Construction site books are always a big hit with kids and I can definitely see myself using this at storytime.
November 18, 2018
I received this book for free from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.
This one was a sleeper hit in my house. I read it for bedtime once or twice when I first got my review copy, but the six-year-old and four-year-old never asked for it again. That is the metric I use most of the time for children’s books, so I set this one aside for a bit.
Then, the nearly-two-year-old started asking for this. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, he is big into trucks and construction right now. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site is another current favorite.
I think he also likes the narrative device of the two children looking for their father at the construction site, which runs in parallel to the text, a story told almost entirely in pictures. He gleefully shouts “DAD!” when we get to the page where the children finally catch up to their father with his forgotten lunch.
For my own part, I enjoy Steve Light’s fanciful drawings. He has a note in the book where he admits to a fascination with classical, Gothic, and Art Deco architecture. This results in a style of illustrated buildings that is only loosely grounded in any project that has ever seen the light of day, but is quite striking.
This is the kind of book that has enough going on to keep me from going crazy when I read it twice in a row every night for weeks on end. Thanks Steve.
This one was a sleeper hit in my house. I read it for bedtime once or twice when I first got my review copy, but the six-year-old and four-year-old never asked for it again. That is the metric I use most of the time for children’s books, so I set this one aside for a bit.
Then, the nearly-two-year-old started asking for this. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, he is big into trucks and construction right now. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site is another current favorite.
I think he also likes the narrative device of the two children looking for their father at the construction site, which runs in parallel to the text, a story told almost entirely in pictures. He gleefully shouts “DAD!” when we get to the page where the children finally catch up to their father with his forgotten lunch.
For my own part, I enjoy Steve Light’s fanciful drawings. He has a note in the book where he admits to a fascination with classical, Gothic, and Art Deco architecture. This results in a style of illustrated buildings that is only loosely grounded in any project that has ever seen the light of day, but is quite striking.
This is the kind of book that has enough going on to keep me from going crazy when I read it twice in a row every night for weeks on end. Thanks Steve.
February 24, 2019
Have you ever noticed how little kids, even those in strollers, are fascinated looking at building sites and the big equipment used for tearing down or for putting up buildings? Well, if you have a young fan of construction sites, this is the perfect book for them. It's the story of two kids, a brother and sister, whose father has forgotten his lunch. So mom sends them off to his construction site job to bring it to him. As they search for dad, the kids observe all the people and activity that goes into building a building - builders, breakers, diggers, welders, cranes, even the simple wheelbarrow. Told in the simplest of ways - only a few words on the page in bold, black letters above simple, slightly cartoonish gouache illustrations showing what they are doing. It's a fun book, with just the amount of whimsy to tickle a funny bone or two (my kids thought the dinosaur bones on the digger page to be particularly funny). The dust jacket shows a typical green construction fence around the site on the front and back. Take the DJ off, for a full view of all the construction activity - a nice treat that my kids spent lots of time exploring.
June 7, 2019
Builders and Breakers by Steve Light. Candlewick Press, 2018. $17. 9780763698720
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When Dad leaves his lunch pail behind, Mom sends the two kids through the construction site to deliver his meal.
Ok – Is this a fun book showing so many of the different jobs that go on within a construction site? Yes. BUT – everyone else on the construction site is wearing proper safety equipment, while the two children just wander willy-nilly without a hardhat or an orange vest?!? Then I’m supposed to believe that they could sit on a giant I-beam dangling in space?! I’m going to have to be a stuffed shirt and rate this lower for that. The foreman could have scooped them up and taken them in a golf cart to find Dad – easy-peasy answer!
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When Dad leaves his lunch pail behind, Mom sends the two kids through the construction site to deliver his meal.
Ok – Is this a fun book showing so many of the different jobs that go on within a construction site? Yes. BUT – everyone else on the construction site is wearing proper safety equipment, while the two children just wander willy-nilly without a hardhat or an orange vest?!? Then I’m supposed to believe that they could sit on a giant I-beam dangling in space?! I’m going to have to be a stuffed shirt and rate this lower for that. The foreman could have scooped them up and taken them in a golf cart to find Dad – easy-peasy answer!
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
January 22, 2019
Two children follow their father to a construction site to give him his lunch. They observe all sorts of things going on at the site, things being built, things being broken, diggers going down, and cranes going up.
This is a fairly simple read with just a few words per page. Many of the spreads build on a previous word, like build, builder, building, etc. so this would be a great book to read if you are introducing suffixes and wanting kids to identify them. It also has a lot of compare/contrast actions being described. And different jobs at a construction site are highlighted, which should thrill a certain group of young readers.
This is a fairly simple read with just a few words per page. Many of the spreads build on a previous word, like build, builder, building, etc. so this would be a great book to read if you are introducing suffixes and wanting kids to identify them. It also has a lot of compare/contrast actions being described. And different jobs at a construction site are highlighted, which should thrill a certain group of young readers.
January 1, 2019
Loved Steve Light’s board book series on transportation vehicles. This title has a good concept theme as yes to build something, something must be broken or changed to create new. Illustrated here is the construction of an urban building. It is also good to see a title that focuses on people who are in the construction trades, a valuable segment of our society.
But, oh, how I did not like the illustrations of the workers whose faces were each so similar with cartoon like faces and there body stances seemed much too stooped.
But, oh, how I did not like the illustrations of the workers whose faces were each so similar with cartoon like faces and there body stances seemed much too stooped.
March 1, 2019
Steve Light’s simple picture book beautifully illustrates Pablo Picasso’s quote, “Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.” Or as Light expresses it, “Builders could not build without breakers to clear the way.” Both the builders and breakers are depicted as hard workers doing their jobs, ultimately making the world a more better place. The illustrations tell a second story, of two children trying to deliver a forgotten lunch to their construction worker father. This could pair nicely with “Rex Wrecks It” by Ben Clanton for a construction themed storytime.
January 9, 2019
Okay, but....... these kids need hard hats. Especially wandering around a massive construction site unsupervised - and going up high on a beam to have lunch with dad???
Also, the dig page made me wince a bit, showing heavy equipment digging down past dinosaur fossils with nary a scientist in sight!
So now that we're done suspending our disbelief, it's a pretty solid book. Simple words, with some good repetition and evolution. Build, builder, building. Nice!
Cool illustrations, too!
Also, the dig page made me wince a bit, showing heavy equipment digging down past dinosaur fossils with nary a scientist in sight!
So now that we're done suspending our disbelief, it's a pretty solid book. Simple words, with some good repetition and evolution. Build, builder, building. Nice!
Cool illustrations, too!
January 22, 2019
The first several pages are great-you've got pictures and words identifying each other and then some playing around with language (build-builder-building, break-breaker-breakthrough) but then it seems to change tack (diggers dig, welders weld, etc.) which in itself is not an issue except that it introduces a second structure and leaves off the first. But honestly, kids who like construction equipment aren't going to care either way.
January 23, 2019
I like this book because breakers boom and builders construct (boom boom boom). Boom is the sound that wrecking balls make, and the sound that hammers make all around the building. And they use cranes to build (build build build build) very high (high high high high) and at the top, you need to put a flag with your name or what you look like on it. (Well, mostly what your face looks like. And a little bit of your neck.)
October 4, 2018
A simple yet fun picture book about the people in construction-- builders and breakers. Using alliteration, onomatopoeia, and vivid illustrations, Steve Light brings the busy world of building things to life. What I like is the deeper message that building things always involves breaking something, but hopefully for the good.
October 9, 2018
Children who are fascinated with construction sites will love this. As a retired teacher I loved that Steve Light introduces children to root words in such a smooth way...build, builder, building. "Diggers dig...Welders, weld." Onomatopoeia and fun illustrations make this a fun picture book to share.
November 6, 2018
simple text mostly just serves as an excuse to show the illustrations. I know the afterwords make a point about the relationship between building and breaking, but with the diggers and welders and wheelbarrows, it gets a little muddled. This one might have been more effective as a wordless book, just showing the children looking for their dad and seeing all the different types of workers.
January 9, 2019
Sure to have some fans with the theme and style, but I got give it a bit of a ding for children running around a construction site. And as a storyteller I love it when a book switches orientation, but why on earth would you do it twice two different directions. I just can't move my arms that way... That being said. The artwork is wonderful.
February 9, 2019
Oh no! Dad has left his lunchbox behind. A sister and brother explore a construction site in search of their dad. Love the colors and the rhythm as we discover the interplay between building and breaking - “destroying in order to create.” Another amazing and fun seek-and-find book from Steve Light. I especially loved the “Diggers dig” page.
March 20, 2019
This nearly wordless book about a construction site is great for toddlers and young children who are interested in construction. The kids bring the forgotten lunch box to their dad. Although the kids loved seeing the characters eating lunch high up in the sky on a beam, we had to discuss safety gear and how those kids should have been wearing safety helmets and gear!
June 10, 2019
When their dad forgets his lunchbox, two children take it to the construction site where he works. Along the way they see construction workers breaking through to build new. Simply told, in few words and imaginative illustrations allows the reader to imagine what it is like to work at constructing amazing buildings.
September 9, 2021
Two children bring their dad his forgotten lunch at the construction site where he works. As they look for him, they observe builders building, breakers breaking, welders welding, diggers digging, and more. I loved some of the plays on words that this book includes, and the illustrations perfectly fit the text.
November 29, 2018
This is a bit disjointed and could have been better with more explanation. The illustrations are very nice, but I cringed when I saw the one of the two children eating lunch on a narrow beam high above the ground.
February 15, 2019
A father leaves his lunch box at home, and his children attempt to bring it to him at his location of work at a construction site. During their search, they experience the sights and sounds, and team work of the builders and breakers as they build.
October 9, 2019
Very cute construction book with imaginative architecture in the illustrations. A builder forgets his lunch at home, so his kids follow him through the construction yard trying to deliver it to him. Each page only has a handful of words describing what the builders/breakers are up to.
October 2, 2021
A picture book with very few words, that contrasts building and demolition, and shows how they’re both important. The sparse text was helped by the great illustrations
* library book. Read at 2 years old
* library book. Read at 2 years old
July 15, 2022
Great illustrations and vocabulary for a construction-themed storytime. The through-story (about two kids bringing lunch to their dad at the construction site) can get lost, though-- I begin by summing up the story up front.
June 16, 2025
This one was a hit with the toddlers, can make it interactive if you have kids act out the action words. Each page only has one or two words making it a short and sweet book for baby or toddler storytimes.
October 10, 2018
Alliteration, onomatopoeia, and bold illustrations in this depiction of bustling big city construction site.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews