Let's Build a Clubhouse [Hardcover]

Marilyn Singer (Author), Timothy Bush (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Here is a picture book perfectly suited to tool-crazy youngsters. Marilyn Singer's short, snappy verses invite young readers to participate in the building of a clubhouse, from drawing a plan to brushing paint on the walls. In addition to the poem, there are facts on each spread about each tool and how to use it. Many of the tools will be familiar to children, such as the hammer and the wrench, but this book also introduces some less familiar tools, such as the plane, square and level. This is a unique and fun-filled picture book that will engage even the youngest child who dreams about having a space of their own.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3–Told in rhyming text, this story describes the efforts of a group of boys and girls to build a clubhouse. Each of the youngsters contributes a tool to the project, and an explanation of its use is provided. Pen-and-ink and watercolor cartoons add to the narrative: for instance, when talking about rulers, several types of rulers and tape measures are shown, along with inches marked along the bottom of the page, and the information that 1ft. = 12 in. and 1 yd. = 3 ft. While there are no overt safety warnings, adults (mostly dads) are shown helping and overseeing the work at every stage. Gail Gibbons's Tool Book (Holiday House, 1982) and Anne F. Rockwell and Harlow Rockwell's The Toolbox (Walker, 2004) are similar in showing the use of tools, but neither shows anyone building anything.–Nancy Silverrod, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In this upbeat picture book, a dozen kids get together to build a neighborhood clubhouse. In the main text, rhyming couplets identify the children and the tools used while following the progress of the project. Running in parallel, a prose text explains the uses and varieties of the many tools mentioned. Parents bring their many hand tools, power tools, and positive attitudes to the project, showing their children how to use the tools safely. Construction proceeds smoothly without so much as a banged thumb or a bent nail. Painted in watercolors, the nicely laid out illustrations show many things at once: the tools, the individual workers, and the progress being made. This enjoyable picture book not only identifies types of wrenches, screws, bits, and so on, but also illustrates the satisfaction of using tools and the pleasure shared by a diverse group of neighbors working toward a common goal. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (October 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618306706
• ISBN-13: 978-0618306701
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 10.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,017,483 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)