Book Title,
and Author
Publisher, Date of Publication
|
Brief Summary/
Highlights |
Shared Reading Questions |
Amazon |
|
Tough Trucks, by Angela Wilkes
Two-Can Publishers, 2000
|
Explores all types of trucks: those that build tall buildings, clear snow, collect garbage, and come in an emergency as well as many others. (Fiction)
Available in Spanish: Grandes Camiones, by S. Fecher and D. Kespert
|
|
|
|
Construction Countdown, by K.C. Olson
Henry Holt and Company, 2004
|
Something wonderful is going on, and every truck has an important job. But what are all those bulldozers and backhoes doing? Find out with this lively counting book. (Fiction)
|
|
|
|
My Truck Is Stuck! by Kevin Lewis
Hyperion, 2002
|
In this rhyming tale, two dogs haul a load of bones in their dump truck. They haven't gone very far before their wheel hits a pothole and they're stuck! A series of larger vehicles all try to pull the truck out of the hole, but to no avail. Then Mr. Mechanic shows up in his tow truck. (Fiction)
|
|
|
|
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, by Virginia Lee Burton
Houghton Mifflin, 1977
|
Classic literature selection about a steam shovel that helped build the big buildings in cities. After bigger, better shovels come along, the steam shovel is no longer needed. But it ends up helping to build a new city hall in a small town, proving its usefulness once more. (Fiction)
Available in Spanish: Mike Mulligan y Su Máquina Maravillosa
|
|
|
|
Digger Man, by Andrea Zimmerman
Henry Holt and Company, 2003
|
A young boy dressed in a hard hat and overalls imagines how he will use his huge yellow digger to excavate the sand—scooping, pushing, moving, and digging everything in the way to prepare for his building project. (Fiction)
|
|
|
|
The Three Little Pigs, by James Marshall
Puffin, 1996
|
Marshall adds a humorous twist to the classic fairy tale in which three pigs build houses and only one survives the attack of the big bad wolf. (Fiction)
Award-winning author/illustrator
|
|
|
|
Houseboat (Home for Me), by Lola M. Schaefer
Heinemann Library, 2003
|
Simple text answers the question, "What is a houseboat?" Includes real-life pictures and a simple diagram of a houseboat. (Nonfiction)
|
|
|
|
Mobile Home (Home for Me), by Lola M. Schaefer
Heinemann Library, 2003
|
In this book, children discover the unique characteristics about mobile homes. Through simple maps and questions, the readers get a look inside a mobile home. (Nonfiction)
|
|
|
|
My Building, by Robin Isabel Ahrens
Winslowhouse International, 1998
|
The joys of apartment life are told from a child's-eye view. Children in urban areas will welcome the celebration of the color, variety, and fun of apartment house living, while children in the suburbs and in the country will appreciate the opportunity to visit a different living environment. (Fiction)
|
|
|
|
How a House is Built, by Gail Gibbons
Holiday House, 1996
|
The building of a frame house, from concept to landscaping, is described with easy text and colorful illustrations. (Nonfiction)
|
|
|
|
Building a House, by Byron Barton
HarperCollins, 1990
|
Bright illustrations and simple text describe how a house is built from the time the land is cleared to the time a family moves in. (Fiction)
Award-winning author/illustrator
|
|
|
|
The House That Jack Built, by Simms Taback
Putnam Juvenile, 2002
|
A hilarious version of the classic cumulative tale in which Jack builds a house. Jack builds a house like no other and fills it to the brim with silly objects that will tickle young children. (Fiction)
Award-winning author/illustrator
|
|
|
|
Window, by Jeannie Baker
Greenwillow Books, 1991
|
Beautifully illustrated book has no text. Each page is the changing scene in one boy's neighborhood out his bedroom window. It shows the growth of a city, from country home to bustling urban home. (Fiction)
|
|
|
|
A House Is a House for Me, by Mary Ann Hoberman
Puffin, 1982
|
Book lists in appealing rhyme types of houses, some for people, some for their animal friends, and some for unusual things, such as a husk being a house for an ear of corn or a throat being a house for a hum. (Fiction)
Award-winning author
|
|
|
|
Castles, Caves, and Honeycombs, by Linda Ashman
Harcourt Children's Books, 2001
|
Beautifully illustrated book describes unique homes of many animals. The rhymes and short verses read like a lullaby. This book can also be used to teach animal names. (Fiction)
|
|
|
|
Houses and Homes,
by Ann Morris
HarperCollins, 1995
|
People in different parts of the world live in different kinds of homes. This striking photo essay explores big houses and little houses, houses that stay in one place and houses that move, houses made of wood and stone and houses made of mud and straw, houses in our country and houses in faraway places, and more. (Nonfiction)
|
|
|
|
Alphabet Under Construction, by Denise Fleming
Henry Holt and Company, 2002
|
Letter by letter, the playful Mouse "constructs" the alphabet - carving the C, measuring the M, rolling the R, and so on, employing all manner of scaffolds, ladders, and other construction tools and machines to get the job done. (Fiction)
Award-winning author/illustrator
|
|
|
|
The Toolbox, by Anne Rockwell
Walker Books for Young Readers, 2004
|
A boy describes his father's toolbox in very simple language and illustrated pictures. He also describes all the tools in the toolbox. (Fiction)
Award-winning author/illustrator
|
|
|
|
Harvey the Carpenter, by Lars Klinting
Kingfisher, 2005
|
Harvey's workshop is a mess! So he decides to build a toolbox for storing his tools. He saws and sands, hammers and drills until his toolbox is done - with only a few mishaps along the way. The plans at the end show children how to make a toolbox like Harvey's. (Fiction)
|
|
|
|
Tool Book, by Gail Gibbons
Holiday House, 1998
|
A nice introduction to a number of different building tools and how they are used. Simple, clear, inviting. (Fiction)
|
|
|
|
Community Helpers: Construction Workers, by Tami Deedrick
Bridgestone Books, 1998
|
Easy book about construction workers with real-life pictures. Shows multicultural and male and female construction workers. (Nonfiction)
|
|
|
|
The Lot at the End of My Block, by Kevin Lewis
Hyperion, 2001
|
A cumulative rhyming tale following the pattern of "This Is the House That Jack Built," a young boy tells the story of how an empty lot is transformed into a building site. The site then ends up being an apartment complex that houses a new friend. (Fiction)
|
|
|
|
Henry's Amazing Machine, by Dayle Anne Dodds
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004
|
From the time Henry was a baby, he was always building things. But now Henry has built a machine that is so big his parents have to move it outside. But what is the purpose of the "Incredible, Amazing Machine" that he created? (Fiction)
|
Shared Reading Questions
|
|
|
Machines at Work, by Byron Barton
HarperCollins, 1987
|
Simple text answers the question, "What do machines and workers do on a busy construction site?" Includes colorful pictures that let the reader watch workers knock down an old building and start a new one. (Fiction)
Award-winning author/illustrator
|
Shared Reading Questions
|
|
|
Cross a Bridge, by Ryan Ann Hunter
Holiday House, 1998
|
This book describes different kinds of bridges, including log bridges, drawbridges, and covered bridges. Bright illustrations show how they are built and used. (Nonfiction)
|
|
|