Construction Kitties

December 1, 2012
Who's ready for a day of work in the sun? Construction Kitties! "The sun is up. Time for work. Construction Kitties grab their hats." Four kitties of various shades don their construction hats (one of which is pink) and head off for the construction site. "Into the dump truck. Onto the backhoe. Move that dirt!" They work until the sun is high, and then they break for lunch. With full tummies they rest, and then it's back to work. "Into the grader. Onto the roller. Smooth that dirt!" When the sun is low, their project is done. Construction Kitties have built a playground! They hop in their trucks and head out over the long highways home. "Construction Kitties purr and sing to the music. Soon it will be time to play!" Though Sturges' text is a little flat, young construction-machine fans can't but love seeing their favorite machines in action. Halpern lends her signature bright, blocky and perky heavy-lined, full-bleed illustrations to the package. A good addition to construction-machine collections everywhere. (Picture book. 2-5)

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January 1, 2013

PreS-The Sturges-Halpern team is back with another pitch-perfect title for construction-loving preschoolers. The bright, thickly lined illustrations are easy to see from a distance, and the repetitive dirt-moving and hard-hat-donning begs for audience involvement. In addition to getting little ones up and moving, this book also subtly incorporates important language comprehension into the text by emphasizing the difference between the prepositions "into" and "onto." This is sure to be a hit with youngsters.-Jenna Boles, Washington-Centerville Public Library, OH

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2013
Preschool-K There are no dozy cats sleeping the day away in this busy book. Four cheerful kitties rise with the sun, eat a hearty breakfast, and then grab their hard hats and head for the construction site, where they have a full day of digging, pushing, and smoothing dirt. What are they doing? Fortunately, they are not digging in a giant cat box, but building a lovely playground for the neighborhood children, as the end pages reveal. The merger of construction vehicles and cats, two picture-book staples, ensures that this book will have broad appeal. The gouache-on-bristol-board illustrations incorporate primary colors and bold lines that reinforce the cheerful industry of the story. The text is simple and repetitive enough that an emerging reader might enjoy trying to read it on their own. But overall this is a book to be shared, particularly in a storytime setting where listeners can show their enthusiasm for the vehicles and the smiling kitties operating them.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)