Crazy About Construction?

Toddlers and preschoolers often get fixated on one favorite subject. With a laser beam focus, they will consume an impressive amount of books, movies, and/or TV shows about their passion, whether it is puppies, dinosaurs, trains, or construction vehicles. For the construction-obsessed youngster, there is no such thing as too many construction books, DVDs, or too much time watching hardworking men and women dig, lift, hammer, and build. Fortunately, there are tons of awesome construction-themed picture books; so much that I had a hard time deciding which books to read for last week's construction story time. Here are my favorites:

Sally Sutton is a construction aficionado's dream come true. With engaging and simple story lines and illustrations, her books entertain even those who are immune to construction fever. Her most recent book, Construction, observes a busy crew building a very important building--a new library! Check out Demolition and Roadwork for more construction fun.

The Construction Crew is a near-perfect read aloud for a toddler group: text is lively and illustrations are bright and bold (with a multicultural construction crew of men and women). We are introduced to the many important tools used by construction workers: wrecking balls, bulldozers, power drills, and more. At the end, we learn that the workers have built a new home for a family (and that friendly neighbors are ready to greet them).

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site strikes a fine balance between the dreamy (and occasionally boring) "going to bed stories" and raucous bedtime stories like The Bunnies Are Not in Their Beds. Even bustling construction sites need to wind down at the end of the day. One by one, the construction equipment finishes its work for the day, then shuts down for the night. Young listeners will likely join in the "Shh...goodnight, {name of equipment], goodnight" refrain. 

Machines at Work, like most Byron Barton picture books, are ideal for very young attention spans. With a maximum of one sentence per page and simple clear-cut illustrations, this will captivate little construction fanatics who aren't ready for longer picture books. 

For the hardcore (and older) construction experts, check out the J 624 section. 

Jennifer Schultz, Youth Services Librarian, Fauquier County Public Library