Editorial Review

Booklist (Miriam Aronin)

Cover: Diggers

These new books in the Machines at Work series are perfect for young children interested in trucks, construction equipment, and slightly more exotic vehicles. They feature bright, colorful photos and child-friendly text. Even the books themselves are a perfect size for young children’s hands. Some of the books engagingly tell the stories of particular workers using the featured piece of machinery. Bo picks up concrete at a plant and transports it to a job site to make a floor in Concrete Mixers. In Diggers, Ed makes a giant hole for a tall building with his digger, and Amy digs a big hole for a swimming pool with her backhoe. Some of the other books read as purely informational texts. Icebreakers describes how the icebreaker breaks through the ice to reach a stranded ship and oil tanker. Tugboats details situations in which tugboats push or pull other ships: through a narrow canal, to a dock, back to sea. A feature at the end labels the main parts of the machine. A picture glossary includes photos that are sufficient to illustrate very simple concepts (“earmuffs,” for example) but not more complex ones (such as “engine”). Still, children will be charmed by the books’ main text and photos.

—Miriam Aronin

Products Reviewed

Title   GRL Format Qty
Cover: Diggers Diggers F

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