What do you think?
Rate this book
Word Builder
Begin your new construction with twenty-six letters...
Where would a sentence be without words? And what's a word without letters? Just like when constructing a building, you have to build your words from the ground up!
Foreman Kurt Cyrus brings architect Ann Whitford Paul's poem to incredible heights with vivid illustrations that will make everyone want to be a word builder!
Where would a sentence be without words? And what's a word without letters? Just like when constructing a building, you have to build your words from the ground up!
Foreman Kurt Cyrus brings architect Ann Whitford Paul's poem to incredible heights with vivid illustrations that will make everyone want to be a word builder!
32 pages, Hardcover
First published February 24, 2009
1 person is currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Ann Whitford Paul
46 books58 followersANN WHITFORD PAUL, author of 'TWAS THE LATE NIGHT OF CHRISTMAS has always been crazy for Christmas, but overwhelmed by it, too. Afterwards she is worn-out and dreams that someone like Mrs. Saint Nick could help her out with the resulting chaos and mess.
Ann graduated from the University of Wisconsin and Columbia University School of Social Work. She became inspired to write picture books after years of bedtime reading to her four children. She's published 19 different award-winning books. Now she gets story ideas from her three grandchildren. For ten years she taught picture book writing through UCLA Extension. She still enjoys teaching how to write picture books. When she isn't writing or teaching, she loves listening to her cat purr, watching spiders spin their webs and following snails' trails.
You can learn more about her, download writing tips and classroom activities, and contact her through her web-site: www.annwhitfordpaul.net
Ann graduated from the University of Wisconsin and Columbia University School of Social Work. She became inspired to write picture books after years of bedtime reading to her four children. She's published 19 different award-winning books. Now she gets story ideas from her three grandchildren. For ten years she taught picture book writing through UCLA Extension. She still enjoys teaching how to write picture books. When she isn't writing or teaching, she loves listening to her cat purr, watching spiders spin their webs and following snails' trails.
You can learn more about her, download writing tips and classroom activities, and contact her through her web-site: www.annwhitfordpaul.net
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 4, 2019
Text: 2 stars
Illustrations: 4 stars
The simplicity and sparseness of the text doesn't fully explain the concept of how language builds, which is what the book attempts to do. The picture book crowd doesn't seem to be the correct target audience for the text, given that two of the page spreads discuss chapters, which children don't yet encounter in picture books. And how many picture book readers will understand, "Mortar each sentence with punctuation?"
But the illustrations are really cool. The way letters and words are incorporated into buildings is fun, creative, and artistically appealing.
Illustrations: 4 stars
The simplicity and sparseness of the text doesn't fully explain the concept of how language builds, which is what the book attempts to do. The picture book crowd doesn't seem to be the correct target audience for the text, given that two of the page spreads discuss chapters, which children don't yet encounter in picture books. And how many picture book readers will understand, "Mortar each sentence with punctuation?"
But the illustrations are really cool. The way letters and words are incorporated into buildings is fun, creative, and artistically appealing.
April 22, 2009
This book could be useful for educators, especially K, 1st and 2nd grade teachers. With minimal text it illustrates the foundation of language: letters, words, sentences, punctuation, paragraphs, chapters and finally, books. The illustrations are vibrant and their large scale is quite appealing. I appreciate the way the author and illustrator have tried to simplify something complex but this title serves as a shaky starting place for parents and teachers to explain the beauty of linguistics to their young readers. I’m afraid the sparseness of the text doesn’t offers enough for readers to understand the layers of language on their own.
March 15, 2014
Eh. My five-year-old son picked this book out from the library this week. He thought it was about letters. I thought it was about how letters formed words. We were both wrong.
This book skipped right over how letters worked and went straight into how words formed sentences, and sentences for paragraphs, and how paragraphs form chapters, and how chapters form books. This is a picture book -- most of the target audience isn't concerned about writing a book (although my son already has); they are more concerned with writing their names or simple words. This book isn't terrible, but the focus is all wrong.
The illustrations, on the other hand, are quite delightful.
This book skipped right over how letters worked and went straight into how words formed sentences, and sentences for paragraphs, and how paragraphs form chapters, and how chapters form books. This is a picture book -- most of the target audience isn't concerned about writing a book (although my son already has); they are more concerned with writing their names or simple words. This book isn't terrible, but the focus is all wrong.
The illustrations, on the other hand, are quite delightful.
January 14, 2023
Fabulous illustrations, sparse and humdrum text. This book does a great job of visually portraying the metaphor of writing as construction, especially the fact that books are built by putting the different components of language together. That’s all it does. There are no explanations, no meat. However, if you want kids to really get that writing is like construction work, this is the book for you. It will especially appeal to kids who love big machines and construction sites.
October 3, 2017
Picture Book: Useful for teaching components of writing: Letters, Words, Sentences, Paragraphs, Chapters, Books, etc. Great pictures for seeing a visual of how letters come together to form words, words to form sentences, etc.
March 19, 2017
Cute concept, but not very interesting to my adult self. But what do I know? My three-year-old loves it.
June 21, 2019
A nice illustration of what it takes to "build" a story. We all start with 26 letters. It is what we do with those letters and how we arrange them that matters.
October 8, 2015
Our family is made up of writers, engineers, architects, and teachers, so this book had definite appeal. It illustrated the concept of breaking a story down into paragraphs, sentences, words, and letters--by (literally) illustrating how letters can be built into such structures.
Creative idea, great illustrations. I'd recommend it to K-2 teachers, but because it illustrates a concept, it seems more to me like a book to read once and remember, rather than a story to read multiple times.
Bottom line: Get it from the library, use it as a metaphor to teach writing construction, but it probably doesn't need permanent real estate on your shelves.
Creative idea, great illustrations. I'd recommend it to K-2 teachers, but because it illustrates a concept, it seems more to me like a book to read once and remember, rather than a story to read multiple times.
Bottom line: Get it from the library, use it as a metaphor to teach writing construction, but it probably doesn't need permanent real estate on your shelves.
April 14, 2009
I love this concept, but I didn't feel the book quite pulled it off. The illustrations are fantastic (I love Cyrus's work) but I felt they didn't explore the vision the author had (although I'm guessing, obviously) and didn't illuminate the text the way they should. Feels like a mismatch and prevents the book as a whole from working. It took me quite a while to decide what I thought about this one. That said, my kids loved it :)
September 8, 2012
In this story, a young construction worker puts together letters and punctuation to build words, sentences, sentences, and chapters. I didn't like the perspective of the illustrations and while the text was intriguing, it didn't quite work for me either. The text could almost inspire older students as a simple writing text but the young boy and the simple writing aren't quite right for that group either. This is one I'll skip for my elementary school library.
March 21, 2009
This book has a great concept and could be useful for teachers of middle grades - it shows letters being built into words; words into paragraphs; paragraphs into pages, etc. My gripe with the book is that it is set up to look like a book for young preschoolers: very little text, bright construction illustrations; so neither group is going to be happy with the book. Nice try.
November 21, 2013
pulled this book out of the library for my 4 yr old but it was a bit too early. We will definitely revisit it when we start learning more about story writing. He loves to build and offering story writing in the framework of construction will connect with him when the time is right. It is an unusual vision but has value in bringing the writing process to light in a different way.
March 15, 2009
Nice intro into writing for kids. Putting together letters then words then sentences then..... This is a simple book with very big nice illustrations. Fun read. May be nice for print knowledge with Early Literacy. Ages 4+
April 14, 2009
I loved reading this big, beautiful book to my new grandson. Large in size the book captivated his eyes as the sound of my voice followed the little construction worker building a village of books from letters.
This book makes you want to snuggle with a child and live between the pages.
This book makes you want to snuggle with a child and live between the pages.
May 22, 2009
This goes beyond what alphabet books do, illustrating the building of words, sentences, paragraphs, and, ultimately, a book, using construction equipment. The concepts will probably be beyond most preschoolers still, but it's a good way to introduce the idea! Plus, the illustrations are so cool!
May 5, 2010
This is a cute way to remind children that it is not a monumental feat to write a paper... it starts with letters that form words which form sentences that form paragraphs and so on. Interesting illustrations as well!
June 27, 2012
This is a cute book talking about how words build into sentences and on into paragraphs, eventually making a book. Beautiful illustrations, but I was looking for more substantial prose. Good for young writers.
March 8, 2014
Maybe K or 1st, introduction to writing...the text has relatively little to say. Just simplistic generalization that letters make words, words make sentences, sentences make paragraphs, etc. Construction site illustrations are appealing. Less than amazing.
March 20, 2009
Book talks about everything it takes (letters, words, sentences, paragraphs etc.) to build a story.
June 4, 2009
Cool concept, cool art. I'd use it with older kids who have already been introduced to the key components (words, sentences, paragraphs).
December 16, 2010
construction, writing, difficult concept kept unclear
April 14, 2010
Nice illustrations and good concept.
February 2, 2014
Excellent illustrations and great to intro all the different parts of writing to younger kids
October 10, 2014
When a child is old enough to understand it, the book is too boring.
November 21, 2014
Probably too mature for my son. Regardless, I didn't love the approach the author took to explain sentence structure.
July 5, 2015
Somewhat abstract approach to the art of writing. Good idea, but it just fell flat.
April 9, 2012
Note: Have them build a stack of words with cut-out shapes.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews