Tools Rule!

The backyard looks somebody opened up a toolbox and spread the contents hither and thither. There’s work to be done, and the tools themselves are just the can-do objects for the job—every one of them has a ready smile and eager eyes. After treating readers to a smattering of tool puns (“Vise, we’re all scattered. What should we do?” “My advice, Let’s get a grip on things.”), Meshon (Take Me Out to the Yakyu) puts his cheery toylike crew to work building a tool shed. The bright cartoon spreads are filled with an epic cast of very cute characters, but by using arrows emblazoned with text to emphasize key actions (“Saw saws Wood”), Meshon makes the project easy to follow. With plenty of deeply satisfying onomatopoeia (“Vrip! Vrip! Vrip!” is the sound of the saw) and tool jokes (What sound does a nail make when it’s being hammered in? “Ok! Ouch! Ok! Ok! Ouch!”), the story should be deemed a job well done by preschool or kindergarten DIYers. Ages 4–8. Agent: Ruben Pfeffer, East West Literary Agency. (Mar.)