Barton's books are awesome for toddlers learning to talk

books:


	• Machines at Work HarperCollins, 1987 - 32 pages average customer review:based on 26 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Barton's books are awesome for toddlers learning to talk

I wish I had started buying these board books when my 2.5 year old was a baby. The text is simple and has a nice rhythym to it, and the illustrations are great. My son memorizes these books after requesting to hear them time after time. I'm sure he'll enjoy these books for a while longer. Regardless, they are great books...just don't wait until your child is four to buy them!

So So

Its is better than some of the "truck" books out there but it's a bit pricey. Most truck books just identify lots of variations on backhoes but this one at least has a little bit of a story. However, to me it seemed a bit disjointed. First they worked on the road and then the building and then the road again. It tried to be sequential but somehow never came together. Also, it was disappointing not to see some final product (a finished building or road, etc). I would not have bought it if I could have looked through it in its entirety. I just relied on the reviews.

for more information click here

hey you guys! diggers and rubble rocks!

2 very different grandsons, each 18 months ADORE this book. one learned 'all the lines' within 24 hours! super illustrations and wonderful words to accompany each page! i've bought copies for every little boy i know!

A great book, and it tells a story

This was our first Byron Barton book, and we love it! Our son said some of his first words while reading this book with him.

A previous reviewer found the book disjointed, but I'd have to disagree. The first half of the book is all about the destruction required before construction ("Knock down that building", "Dig up that road"). Then, we have lunch. After lunch, it's all about building up again ("Lift that beam", "Mix the cement"). Finally, after building and road are built, it's time to stop the machines and go home (but there's "More work tomorrow"). It's got a nice balance, and if you're reading it at bedtime, it's a nice segue into a talk about all the things you did today, and what you'll do tomorrow.

for more information click here

Construction for the young 'uns

When you write as many reviews of children's books as I do (and is there any more pompous way to begin a sentence, I wonder) you sometimes find yourself at a loss for words when it comes to the simpler ones. And author/illustrator Byron Barton is, if nothing else, the patron saint of picture book straightforwardness. There is no wry undertone to a Barton book. No sly wit. No winks or nods to parents and educators beneath the simple childlike text. Nope. Byron Barton is an author that writes stories for children and children alone. In "Machines At Work", Barton (who's millions of books have covered every topic from planes to dinosaurs) tackles that perpetual toddler fascination - - the worksite.

In this particular book, we observe a wide variety of small workers (male, female, white, black, etc.) off to work. Some climb readily into their machines. Others dictate instructions from below. For this day, the workers knock down a building, bulldoze trees, dump rubble, take a lunch break, build a building, and build a road (amongst other activities). Then the expressionless crew heads for home after a long and satisfying day. Says the text, "More work tomorrow".

The book begins with the sentence, "Hey, you guys!". For those parents amongst you who remember the heyday of that classic PBS show, "The Electric Company", you know how best to read that line. Otherwise, the sentences in this book tend to be instructions. The narrator (and, hence, the child reading the book) tells the little people what to do and they do it. I was intrigued by the prior reviewer of this book who commented that though we see the workers apparently build a road and building, no final product is ever shown at the end. It would be nice to see the result of all this work. Obviously Barton thinks kids would be far more interested in the breaking down and building up than in the end products. I was also a little amazed at the amount of destruction in this book as opposed to the significantly smaller amount of construction.

But these aren't really criticisms. If you've a kid who likes machines that go vroom and boom, it's hard to find fault with this book. There are plenty of simple words with thick black lines for kids to understand. No, it won't name the machines one by one. You'll have to find a different book for that. Still, it's a nice enough preschool title to entrance those kiddies who're already enamored of these friendly agents of destruction. A simple text that is certain to find a wide appreciative audience.

for more information click here

reviews: 1, page 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

hot

not?

What's your opinion?

Write a review and share your thoughts!

search for books
machines at work, machines, work

Impressum / about us