Review by Booklist Review
Ages 2-4. With the call of ``Hey, you guys! Let's get to work,'' Barton's crew women and men shoulder drills and picks, board cranes and cement mixers, and set their equipment bulldozing and steamrolling across his vibrant page spreads. Strong black lines contain the brightly colored machines energetically working against backgrounds of equally bold hues, while straightforward statements in large type describe the action. With the childlike simplicity displayed in his quartet Airplanes, Boats, Trains and Trucks (Booklist 82:1685 Ag 86) Barton generates the excitement of road and building construction for young sidewalk engineers. EM. Building Fiction / Construction equipment Fiction / Machinery Fiction [CIP] 86-24221
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
As with his recent booksTrains, Trucks, Airplanes and BoatsMachines at Work is characterized by bold, black outlines and vivid colors. Barton takes youngsters through an entire day at a construction site. The workers, a multiracial group of men and women, arrive and begin their day. Unlike other books on big machines for this age group, Barton's is not a catalogue of heavy equipment. Each vibrant spread shows people and machines actively working. The short, punchy narrative reinforces the dynamics of the illustrations. Kids are fascinated by dump trucks, bulldozers, cranes, cement trucks, etc. This will prove a popular read-aloud for preschoolers and satisfying read-alone for beginners. Ages 3-7. (September) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1 Barton's bold double-page il lustrations depict a busy day at a con struction site as workers (with the posi tive inclusion of women) knock down a building and start a new one. In Barton's characteristic style, the bright primary colors and chunky shapes outlined in thick black lines convey an effect that is not static. Energy and action abound. The illustrations are accompanied by the simplest possible text, a one-line descrip tion. The machines shown are not named, but their functions are described. The sequence of events is clear and easi ly followed. Barton draws young readers and listeners into the book by the initial call to work. (``Hey, you guys!'') and the use of the first person-plural (``Let's get to work''). This visual treat, dished up with a nice helping of simple information, will entertain the very young. Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School Library, South Portland, Maine (c) Copyright 2010. 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 Kirkus Book Review
Using the bold, black bordered forms and simple colors familiar to readers of his other popular books, Barton introduces seven pieces of heavy machinery in action (plus people with drills and pickaxes) with a brief, imperative text (""Knock down that building. Bulldoze that tree. . .Dump that rubble""). Except where the verbs give a clue, the adult who shares the book is left to supply the names for the equipment. The very simple images here make the book appropriate to the youngest; its directness is likely to inspire spontaneous dramatic play. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
