Review by Booklist Review
A family's new home is a fixer-upper, but fortunately, Daddy is handy with tools. Unfortunately, he doesn't have all the ones he needs. So our boy narrator, his father, and his little sister head to the hardware store. They fill their cart with a hammer, stepladder, level, saw, tape measure, carpenter's apron, screwdrivers, painting supplies, and, just for fun, a birdhouse kit. Arriving home, they discover that they have forgotten something and drive right back to the store. Written in simple, understandable sentences and with a bit of mild humor, the story records part of everyday family life after moving. Any young child could enjoy this attractive picture book, with its here-and-now text and its sunny artwork, created with acrylics, collage, and digital elements. But the book's most enthusiastic audience will be those preschoolers who study the illustrations to learn about hand tools in all their varied forms (TYPES of HAMMERS: framing, tack, sledge, ball-peen, mallet, and claw). A real find for young tool fans.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-When a young family moves to a larger home, there are many repairs to be done. The story is narrated by a boy, who, with his little sister Flora, helps Daddy go to the hardware store to purchase what they will need to make the necessary renovations. With straightforward language and simply composed mixed-media illustrations, Rockwell describes the tools needed for each project and the reasons for the choices that are made. When Daddy and the children get home, Mom reminds them that they have forgotten an important purchase. So the three builders head back to the hardware store. This is a book that will delight young children who like to help out with home projects or who are fascinated with tools and building. It is a wonderful introduction to simple tools and builds a sophisticated vocabulary for junior carpenters. VERDICT A solid addition for picture book collections.-Mary Hazelton, formerly at Warren & Waldoboro Elementary Schools, ME © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When everything in the new house needs "fixing," Daddy brings the narrator and his younger sister to the local hardware store. As they shop, the text introduces simple tools and materials as well as more complex vocabulary. The straightforward narration and friendly mixed-media collage illustrations emphasize the child's perspective, warmly welcoming young tool lovers and others on this timeless small-town excursion. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Dad, daughter, and son head to the hardware store to find tools for home repair. It's a bigger house for this growing family of five (plus two cats and a dog), but their new home is in need of some fixing. So it's off to the hardware storea charming mom-and-pop shop full of colorful curiosities. There, brother and sister examine walls of hammers and screwdrivers, poke through bins of brads, and learn about levels. Their list complete, they arrive home only to realize an item is missing, and it's back to the store they go. The artwork, done in a pastel-colored palette, is full of attractive little details, from the patterning on the tool displays to the labels on the window. Captioned spot illustrations depicting the differences among certain tools will delight readers both young and old. Like Taro Gomi, Iwai makes no attempt to light her artwork with shading. Still, objects distinguish themselves as she skillfully applies pattern and color. It's an appealing environment that, while stylized, feels real as the mother sits on the floor breast-feeding, tools strewn around, reminding her husband of the forgotten item. Dad has white skin and sandy hair, while brother and sister share the dark hair and almond eyes of their mother. Accessible for all, from the happy shopper to the tool-obsessed. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
