By Amanda Lynch, The Children’s Book Review
Published:June 18, 2009
by William Low
Reading Level: Baby-Preschool
Hardcover: 42 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co (May 12, 2009)
What to Expect: Trucks, Helicopters, Boats, Trains, Lift the Flap, Onomatopoeia
When I first picked up Machines Go to Work, I didn’t realize what a cool lift the flap book it was! Every third page or so opens up into a beautiful illustration, depicting a different machine doing its job: a fire truck being used to rescue a kitten, a backhoe digging a hole to plant a tree, a helicopter carrying reporters, flying above a family of ducks crossing the road. The text flows well, and the story is a fantastic read aloud. Once you finish with the story, there is a fun fact section on all of the different machines, with illustrated diagrams of cement mixers, helicopters, and boats.
The real show stealers in this book are the illustrations. Award winning artist and illustrator William Low is known for his exquisite attention to detail, and you can see it in every single image. Also, unlike some Truck and Train Books, the images aren’t bright and harsh; rather, the soft color scheme brings the scenes vividly to life–my favorite is the giant container ship passing underneath a bridge. As an added bonus, this isn’t one of those Machine Books solely geared toward boys. I think the beautiful illustrations will appeal toward little girls who enjoy trucks and boats as well. I quite frankly fell in love with the picture of the cherry blossom trees where the kitten is rescued. For any young lover of machines, this is a must-read!
William Low also did a fantastic interview on his creative process for this story. To check it out, go here.
Add this book to your collection: Machines Go to Work