Busy Builders, Busy Week!

by Jean Reidy, Leo Timmers (Illustrator)

Overview

In this bright, bold picture book, a cast of animal characters are building a brand-new playground in a local park for their community! Each day of the week contains a different construction plan as the steam-rolling, digging, and planting gets underway.

Tuesday! Mix day!
Pipe and boards and bricks day.
Stack, spin, pour it in.
Give the fence a fix day.

Wednesday! Load day!
Take it on the road day.
Hoist, haul, pull it all.
Something being towed day!

The construction project comes together for a joyful, rhyming walking tour of a neighborhood, where young readers can learn the days of the week while watching everyone work as a team!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681190297
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	06/14/2016
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	400,487
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 6.40(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Jean Reidy is the author of All Through My Town, Too Purpley!, Too Pickley!, and Too Princessy!, among many other books for children. She lives with her family in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

www.jeanreidy.com
@JeanReidy

Leo Timmers has written and illustrated several books for children, including All Through My Town, Who is Driving?, and the award-winning Happy with Me. He lives with his family in Brussels, Belgium.

www.leotimmers.com

Editorial Reviews

"Richard Scarry has some competition. . . . The acrylic illustrations are bright and busy, full of details to spot. . . . Charming appeal. Neatly encapsulates the three-ring circus that is a little tyke’s world and gives children an opportunity to practice all kinds of skills." —Kirkus Reviews on ALL THROUGH MY TOWN

"With spreads jam-packed with detail and event . . . it’s an undeniable feast for the eyes." —Publishers Weekly on ALL THROUGH MY TOWN

"This spirited picture book is as much fun to browse through as it is to read, and it could spark classroom discussions about neighborhoods and community workers." —School Library Journal on ALL THROUGH MY TOWN

From the Publisher

04/18/2016
In this bouncy story from the creators of All Through My Town, an energetic animal construction crew plans and executes a mystery project over the course of a single week. Beginning on “Sunday! Dream day!/ Study, scribble, scheme day,” the crew—whose numbers include a giraffe, gorilla, and elephant, all safely outfitted in hard hats and orange vests—assembles at a vacant lot to strategize. “Monday! ’Doze it day!/ Dig it, dump it, dispose it day” comes next, followed by “Tuesday! Mix day! Pipes and boards and bricks day,” and so on. Each day brings another task and progress on the secret venture; a wooden fence keeps readers from seeing the project, though some may guess at what’s happening as animal-shaped slides and swings are unloaded. Timmers’s acrylic paintings present big-eyed, cheerful animals busy on the job using realistic looking tools and trucks. The brown of the dirt lot and fence (which gets a makeover, too) contrast with increasing splashes of color—the animals themselves, as well as the whimsical playground fixtures. The result is a joyful cacophony of color and activity. Ages 3–6. Author’s agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (June)

Publishers Weekly

06/01/2016
Toddler-PreS—The bouncy rhyming text and bold acrylic illustrations chronicle a crew of cheerful animals through a weeklong building project. Young construction enthusiasts and animal lovers alike will be delighted by the zany details in the pictures as the grinning, googly-eyed beasties clear, bulldoze, and smooth the lot; bring in playground equipment; landscape; and assemble and paint a playground. The energetic rhyme and bright paintings make this a natural storytime crowd-pleaser. The illustrations provide plenty of material for discussion and repeated readings. VERDICT This title is bound to be popular with a broad range of preschoolers when shared either one-on-one or in a group setting.—Rachel Anne Mencke, St. Matthew's Parish School, Pacific Palisades, CA

School Library Journal

2016-03-30
An animal construction crew works each day of the week to complete a fun surprise for the neighborhood.Sunday is "Dream day! / Study, scribble, scheme day. / Map, measure, plan a treasure. / Gather up a team day!" A tiny mouse acts as crew boss, checking notes on a clipboard and happily shouting into a miniature bullhorn. The rest of the goggle-eyed crew can't wait to get to work. On Monday, the diggers arrive (and the rhyming verse makes its only stumble). Timmers gleefully stretches the excavator's cab to accommodate the giraffe's long neck. Tuesday brings the road rollers—and skateboard, roller-skate, and unicycle rollers, too. A family of worms is displaced (with suitcases strapped to their backs)—but not to worry, they return in the end. Deliveries of brightly colored equipment roll in, while hammers swing and drills buzz. The construction site is booming all week. But what are they building? The final reveal is none too shocking, but it's still fun to spot all of the animals who made appearances along the way (and see a fitting tribute to each construction animal who worked so hard).The lively text supports the joy, but in this case, the delight is in the details. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews