Construction-themed books

Heavy Equipment Up Close by Andra Serlin Abramson (2007)

I bought this book for the library this year because of our major construction project going on right now. We are building an addition to the school and students have been seeing the progress all year long.

This book is HUGE - about four times the size of a chapter book - and includes full-page pull-outs of actual size photographs. From cranes to bulldozers and tractors, this book includes all types of heavy machinery with short, readaloud-friendly blurbs of information.

It's begging to be checked out by a teacher to share with students!

While we don't have too many construction-themed books in the library, I did pull out a few others to make connections to what's happening right outside our windows.

Building Heroes by Annie Auerbach (2004)

Back cover:
An old abandoned building is being demolished to make space for a new after-school center. Bad weather threatens to disrupt construction plans, but the Hero City team knows they must complete the center in time for the next school year. Join these heroes as they rev up their machines and rise to another building challenge!

Raise the Roof! by Anastasia Suen (2003)

Inside flap:
Grab your tool kit and put on your hard hat - there's a house to build! It starts with drawing up the floor plans and ends with laying down a welcome mat, but in between there are lots of things to do. Bright, humorous illustrations capture all the details around a construction site as a busy family lends a hand (and sometimes a paw!) to help build their dream house.

Dig, Drill, Dump, Fill by Tana Hoban (1975)

This wordless book features full-page photographs of heavy machinery. The glossary at the end adds short explanations of what each machine does. Though the book is a bit dated, construction equipment has changed little over the years, so the book is still relevant today.

Machines at Work by Byron Barton (1987)

Inside flap:
At the construction site the workers gather. Their machines are ready and waiting. A busy day is about to begin.
Down comes the old building. The land is made ready. A new building starts to go up.
Byron Barton's bright, bold illustrations convey all the energy, action, and excitement of the day.

Big Work Machines by Patricia Relf (1984)

This is a nonfiction book about heavy machinery. Each page has illustrations of a worksite, with captions for the construction equipment and explanations of how and when they are used.