Builders and Breakers

PreS-Gr 1—A construction worker forgets his lunch box, so his wife sends their two small children to deliver it to him. That is the framing device behind this visually thrilling picture book. At the job site, the little ones observe some workers breaking ground and old structures while others are erecting new buildings. Simple vocabulary is used and the pen, ink, and gouache illustrations in orange, yellow, blue, and purple aptly define the featured word. Single pages and spreads are bright and clear with lots of white space as background. The large illustrations of "Diggers dig" and "Cranes hoist" require that the book be turned vertically and indicate depth and height. The "Diggers dig" spread reveals a discarded truck, bicycle, and several dinosaur skeletons buried in the earth as people toil deep in the hole. Men and women of different races are shown performing the same jobs and everyone wears a yellow hard hat except for the two kids who happily scamper about unhindered by any adult.