Toni Buzzeo (One Cool Friend) and Jim Datz (How to Find Old New York) make an entertaining guessing game out of the tools of various trades, starring a diverse cast of professionals as they construct a house.
A googly-eyed chalk line maker, chisel, jointer and float provide hints to the mason's job, revealed with the opening of a gatefold. "I smooth the cement until it's flat," says a fellow in overalls, demonstrating the float's role, as another carries bricks on a board. Datz makes sure all tools are visible in their context. The carpenters come next, with "level, square, saw and hammer." Buzzeo always includes one or two familiar tools so even youngest readers can get their bearings. Roofers use a ladder, for instance (along with a nail gun, snips and utility knife); electricians use a screwdriver and drill (along with a wire stripper and linesman pliers). Plumbers and painters also appear, and Buzzeo and Datz cleverly bring the action back to young readers (building with blocks). Thick cardboard pages ensure that the board book will stand up to repeated readings. The back cover showcases all 24 tools in vertical rows, in order of appearance, for easy reference.
Datz highlights men and women with a range of skin tones, and wearing the proper protective gear (helmets for the roofers, coveralls for the painters). Happily, Buzzeo and Datz will return in the fall with Whose Truck? --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness