What Can You Do with a Toolbox?

May 15, 2018
TV designers and builders Carrino and Colaneri, aka "The Cousins," teach a bunch of preschoolers how to use tools to build a playground. The men introduce the children to safety precautions and emphasize the need for adult supervision. They show various tools in action--a wrench, bolts, a shovel, a screwdriver, a tape measure, a level, a hammer and nails, a saw, a drill, a ladder, and paintbrushes--and the kids watch raptly and run around. The pencil-and-watercolor vignettes are attractively busy and convey the excitement of the project, but too many details are missing or inaccurate to adequately explain the building process. The text states "We use a wrench and bolts to assemble the swing set," but the swing set looks finished (there is a kid on a swing), and there is no visible explanation of the mechanics of this operation. Readers learn that "a screwdriver turns a screw to fasten the cargo net," but there is no demonstration of how the screwdriver (held by a squirrel) is intended to be used or what a screw is. Descriptions are inaccurate: A tape measure is used "to measure how tall to make the slide"--but in fact it is to calculate where the slide needs to be attached. A level is used to "make sure the monkey bars are straight," but "straight" does not sufficiently convey the concept of "level." A sadly missed opportunity to show kids the real nuts and bolts of construction. (Picture book. 3-6)

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 16, 2018
Carrino and Colaneri, HGTV personalities known as the Cousins, bring their design and construction know-how to a young audience in this sprightly introduction to the tools of their trade. In energetic watercolor pictures, Lam (My Little Sister and Me) shows the authors sharing the contents of a toolbox with a half-dozen curious kids and one frisky puppy. Emphasizing that “safety always come first,” the cousins provide safety glasses, hard hats, work gloves, and boots before demonstrating what each tool can do. Their functions are explained, simply and clearly, as the adults, aided by the children, assemble objects high in kid appeal: a wrench turns bolts on a swing set, a shovel fills a sandbox, a tape measure determines the height of a slide, a level ensures that monkey bars are straight, and paintbrushes (in little hands) make colorful designs on walls. The antics of the dog, a cheerful yellow bird fond of riding on hard hats, and a mischievous squirrel supply additional visual diversion before the completed construction project—a bustling playground filled with happy kids—appears in a jubilant final spread. Ages 4–8.

August 1, 2018

PreS-K-HGTV stars Carrino and Colaneri make their picture book debut with this simple introduction to tools and construction. The story starts with the discovery of a red toolbox by two curious young girls, and the question, "What's that big red box?" Cartoon-versions of the authors show the two girls, joined by a steadily increasing number of kids, that it's what's inside a toolbox that makes it useful. Starting with safety glasses and moving through wrenches, screwdrivers, and saws, the two men demonstrate what each tool can do. Parents will appreciate the inclusion of safety practices. Larger tools like a shovel and a ladder show that not all tools fit in a toolbox. The demonstrations of each tool's use will give clues as to what is being built throughout the book. Young readers will guess long before they get to the ending but nonetheless will enjoy seeing the finished product. Soft watercolor and pencil drawings set the scene. The faces of the children, drawn with simple lines, are expressive and primarily display excitement. VERDICT While there is nothing new here, this is a solid selection for young construction fans.-Kimberly Tolson, Millis Public Library, MA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.