Ring the bells, throw confetti, break out the sunglasses, er reading glasses, summer reading is here! We are celebrating the University Heights branch renovation with this year’s summer reading theme “Dream, Build, Share.” Children from birth to grade 8 can sign up at any of our branches and get started on their reading! Every child that registers will get to choose a free book to keep and will have the chance to win more prizes. Our philosophy – the more reading done the better!! Need book ideas? Why not start with a construction/building theme to go with “Dream, Build, Share?” Bonus! All of the picture books in the list below were published in the past year. You might just find some new family favorites 🙂
Mighty, Mighty Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker
All of our favorite trucks are back on the construction site–this time with a focus on team-building, friendship, and working together to make a big task seem small! Down in the big construction site, the crew faces their biggest job yet, and will need the help of new construction friends to get it done.
Ready, Set, Build by Meg Fleming
Get ready for a day full of construction fun! Children can follow a busy dog builder as he sketches and plans his dream, clears rubble to make space, and gets to work digging, lifting, and sawing. He builds a house for himself and his bird friend, and satisfied after a hard day’s work, they takes in all they’ve done and look forward to the next day of building!
Dalmation in a Digger by Rebecca Elliot
Dugger! Dugger! Dugger! What’s that noise? It’s the booming sound of big construction vehicles, and Little Dalmatian is determined to find out what they are building in this energetic picture book from Rebecca Elliott.
The Mixed-Up Truck by Stephen Savage
It’s Cement Mixer’s first day on the job and he doesn’t want to make any mistakes. How can he help the other trucks on the construction site? By mixing some powdery white cement, of course! He mixes it up, adds a little water, and presto . . . a cake?! He must have mixed flour instead of cement. Not to worry, he’ll try again . . . and presto!
Tinyville Town Gets to Work by Brian Briggs
When there is a traffic jam on the Tinyville Town bridge, the residents decide to work together to build a new one. By following the hard work of the engineers and construction workers, readers will get to meet many different people in the town while watching the exciting new bridge take shape
Little Excavator by Anna Dewdney
Here come the BIG RIGS rolling down the street. Thumpa-thumpa bumpa-bumpa BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! There’s Loader and Dump Truck, Backhoe and Crane. They’re ready to transform a vacant lot into a neighborhood park. And who wants to help most of all? Little Excavator! But are there any jobs for someone so small?
Old MacDonald Had a Truck by Steve Goetz
Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O. And on that farm he had a…TRUCK?! With a DIG DIG here and a SCOOP SCOOP there, this classic folk song just got revved up! Beloved machines–the excavator, dump truck, bulldozer, and more–will have the vehicle-obsessed of all ages reading and singing along.
