Construction Countdown
- Book Review,
by K. C. Olson
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-K–Various construction vehicles at work, from dump trucks and earthmovers to bulldozers and payloaders, are introduced in this countdown from 10 to 1. The action ends with a group of smiling children playing in "one gigantic sandbox with room to drive them all." The sometimes alliterative, rhyming text and the large, colorful illustrations created in Painter and Adobe Photoshop on a Macintosh computer are engaging. A welcome addition to help meet the insatiable demand for books on this subject.–Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 1. Construction trucks are the focus of this backwards counting book, beginning with "Ten mighty dump trucks rolling down the road," followed by "Nine earthmovers scraping up a load." Each group of trucks appears on a double-page spread depicting the vehicles and workers doing their jobs. Olson's rhythmic, rhyming text is satisfying at each turn of the page, but never more so than on the last spread. Just when things have become comfortably predictable, Olson offers a little surprise, revealing that the trucks are not on a work site, but in a sandbox. Gordon achieves painterly effects in a series of digital illustrations with trucks in glowing colors set off against tawny backgrounds. The figures of workers in the first illustrations appear in the last one as tiny action figures set up in the sand. A simple, satisfying picture book for reading aloud to school children who are learning to count backwards and their younger siblings who are fascinated by trucks. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Gordon's fantastic, digitally created illustrations imbue the scenes with gritty and dramatic realism." --Publishers Weekly
"A welcome addition to help meet the insatiable demand for books on this subject." --School Library Journal
"[T]his delightful book will have children counting trucks everywhere." --Boston Sunday Herald
"Olson's rhythmic, rhyming text is satisfying at each turn of the page." --Booklist
Review
"Gordon's fantastic, digitally created illustrations imbue the scenes with gritty and dramatic realism." --Publishers Weekly
"A welcome addition to help meet the insatiable demand for books on this subject." --School Library Journal
"[T]his delightful book will have children counting trucks everywhere." --Boston Sunday Herald
"Olson's rhythmic, rhyming text is satisfying at each turn of the page." --Booklist
Book Description
Ten mighty dump trucks rolling down the road.
Nine earthmovers scraping up
a load . . .
Count down from ten to one with the busy
construction trucks!
Something wonderful is going on, and every kind of truck has an important job. But what are all those bulldozers and backhoes doing? This bright and lively counting book will delight young construction fans everywhere.
About the Author
K. C. Olson is a children's librarian in the Midwest. The inspiration for this book came from her son, who taught her everything she knows about construction equipment and whose sandbox, unfortunately, isn't nearly large enough. This is Ms. Olson's first book.
David Gordon has done conceptual work for the Pixar/Disney blockbusters Toy Story, Toy Story II, and A Bug's Life. He has also illustrated a book and done work for numerous magazines. An avid fan of all kinds of trucks, he lives in New York.
Buy from Amazon
Compare Prices
|
|
Home
