The Fix-Its: Nail Needs Help

PreS-Gr 3–Nail finds themself stuck in a wooden board and would prefer to have a bit more freedom of movement. Fellow denizens of the workshop toolbox circle round, ready to help. Hammer leads the charge, using their flat, heavy head to push the nail further into the board. Nail realizes this is going against the goal and is about to propose another option when Hammer angrily clomps off, frustrated by failure. The other tools proffer their own talents to support Nail’s quest for freedom, but to no avail. Gifted as they might be in their own the ways, a plier can only ply, squeezing the nail far beyond its comfort, and a saw can only saw, maiming the grouchy, bothered wooden board in which Nail is lodged. Thankfully, the team stops short of total destruction for either Nail or Board, and Hammer half-heartedly returns to listen to and take heed of Nail’s possible solution. In an amiable lesson in teamwork, compromise, and flexible thinking, the tools get the job done. Bright, functional illustrations sketch easily identifiable toolbox staples. The panel structure is used flexibly and effortlessly, an inviting treat for early readers new to the genre.