Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Katie loves everything about building with blocks-the little click they make as they snap together, the way they wobble and sometimes crash, and the feeling she gets when she creates something new. Her brother Owen feels the same way about books-their smell, the sound of rustling pages, and the feeling he gets when he reads a new book. One day at school, the siblings get into an argument about which is better, building or reading. The school librarian offers each of them a stack of books-one for Katie to read and one for Owen to shelve. Left to their own devices, Katie begins building bridges and towers out of her books, and her brother begins to read. But when Katie's castle topples, she becomes absorbed in an engineering book and then another about cities, and so on. In the meantime, Owen, daunted at the task of shelving so many books, begins to build. The pair uses most of the books on the shelves to not only read together but to create something fantastic, much to the librarian's dismay. The fanciful illustrations are rendered in ink and gouache and finished digitally against a white background. The endpapers feature an intricate array of white and colored books and blocks of different shapes and sizes. VERDICT This is a fun read-aloud with a great message about the powers of reading and making. -Recommended for all collections.-Barbara -Auerbach, Cairo Public Library, NY © Copyright 2018. 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
Siblings Katie and Owen have different opinions as to the best way to spend free time. Is building better than reading, or vice versa? Their school librarian encourages them to try each other's passions, and it's no surprise when they learn to appreciate them. The simply cartooned ink and gouache illustrations are appealing, especially in depicting the body language of the (brown-skinned) children and the teetering edifices made of books. (c) Copyright 2019. 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
Owen loves reading but hates building. Katie loves building but hates reading. However, one day, each is forced to look beyond their interests.Owen and Katie are siblings. Katie loves building with blocks, and Owen loves books. One day, they are caught by their school librarian arguing about the benefits of building versus reading. To push their boundaries, the librarian gives a pile of books to Katie to read and a pile of books to Owen to shelve. Both of them frown and ignore the librarian's command. However, when Katie's book castle falls and reveals a book titled Castle Engineering, her curiosity is piqued, and she begins to read. Similarly, when Owen takes a break from reading, he discovers he can build a cool tower with books! In no time, the siblings are sharing their joys of both building and reading. With repetitive, patterned, well-paced text, Lloyd weaves an enjoyable story while showcasing the benefits of trying something different and gently testing the boundaries of gender convention. Farley's detailed and realistic illustrations are intriguing and playful, effectively using white space and vignettes to delineate the kids' characters and activities. In addition to providing an added level of depth and beauty to the story, they depict Katie and Owen both with brown skin and black hair, and the librarian is a pants-wearing woman of color.Engaging read combined with a solid lesson. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
