Workshop

March 29, 1999
Precision and poetry characterize this singular volume, which introduces the hand tools in a wood- and metal-working shop as the builders construct a carousel. Each spread presents one implement, from Ruler to Chisel to Saw, along with a haiku-like description: "Hammer is a hitter, a beater, a pounder, a nailer./ Hammer moves, whack by thump by thud./ Hammer keeps swinging." Clements (Temple Cat) distills the sentences to their essence. His active verbs ("Drill spins in") and declaratives ("Screwdriver is a partner") mimic the confident movement of a person at one with a tool. Wisniewski (Golem) supplements this steady, controlled text with fastidious cut-paper images of a boy assisting master craftsmen as they create the hand-built wooden merry-go-round. The illustrations frame the definitions in time and space: the caps, denim aprons and heavy mustaches of the men suggest first-generation immigrants of early 20th-century America. The artist's signature layers of colorful paper (some raised to cast three-D shadows, some sprinkled with a spray of sawdust or "sparks") attest to the same concentration and technical finesse celebrated by Clements's words. Balance, the center of any craft or spiritual practice, is the soul of this concise and beautifully designed book. Ages 4-8.

May 1, 1999
PreS-Gr 2-The men in Wisniewski's workshop are busy creating a carousel with strong beams, decorative panels, and exquisitely carved horses. From ruler to wrench, 13 basic tools are described in short text and bright, bold cut-paper illustrations. In each large-scale, double-page spread, a young apprentice watches a different craftsman at work with saw, chisel, grinder, or knife. The eye-filling pictures are well matched with sentences that are brief but potently descriptive. In Clements's thought-provoking words, "Axe is the great divider," "Saw is a biter," "Chisel is patient," and "Drill makes room for itself." Reading Workshop can be a delightful way to talk with children about the artistry of craftsmen and builders. It identifies familiar household tools and explains their uses; it is also a celebration of creativity and inspires an appreciation of skilled workmanship.-Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ

Copyright 1999 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 1999
Ages 3^-6. In this unusual, highly imaginative book, the text simply names tools and gives their purposes and characteristics. But the illustrations offer a silent story: a young apprentice enters a workshop where many craftsmen are working on different parts of a carousel. As the lad helps each one, he learns about the tools of their trade. In the end, all the workmen gather around the completed carousel and applaud and wave as their helper opens their gift: a set of hand tools. Concise and even poetic at times, the writing sums up each tool in a few lines: "Knife is a cutter, a slicer, a trimmer. / Knife is thin and edgy. / Knife is just passing through." Even those not especially interested in tools, will be entranced by the movement and strength of the double-page spreads, which are as powerful as the tools they catalog. Caldecott-medalist Wisniewski provides his signature intricate collages, this time using wood veneers as well as textured papers that he beautifully cuts and composes into lively, colorful scenes. A book whose information is balanced by its beauty. ((Reviewed April 15, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)