Perhaps the only thing better than watching a construction site is knowing that it will result in a new amusement park. With that premise, first-time author Sobel joins veteran Iwai (Night Shift Daddy) in a trip through the alphabet: "Do you see the Asphalt for paving the road?/ or the big shiny Bulldozer pushing a load?" Iwai's emphasis on the interplay of shapes and colors make her pictures especially appealing for youngest eyes, but even connoisseurs will revel in the Matchbox-like appearance of the equipment and the wide variety of angles and perspectives used throughout the book. One particularly striking picture puts a hoisted I-beam smack in the foreground. Following Sobel's lead, Iwai prefers to zero in on the construction action rather than provide an overall feel for how the park is progressing from spread to spread. However, readers can gauge the passage of time by the seasonal changes in the land outside the chain-link safety fence, and by the corresponding wardrobe changes of the observers. By "S," youngsters "see the Scaffolds come down," and in the final pages, the civilians finally get to reap the benefits: "Z" stands for the "Z-O-O-M!!!!!!!" of the new park's roller coaster. Ages 2-5. (May)
