Busy Builders, Busy Week!

In this bouncy story from the creators of All Through My Town, an energetic animal construction crew plans and executes a mystery project over the course of a single week. Beginning on “Sunday! Dream day!/ Study, scribble, scheme day,” the crew—whose numbers include a giraffe, gorilla, and elephant, all safely outfitted in hard hats and orange vests—assembles at a vacant lot to strategize. “Monday! ’Doze it day!/ Dig it, dump it, dispose it day” comes next, followed by “Tuesday! Mix day! Pipes and boards and bricks day,” and so on. Each day brings another task and progress on the secret venture; a wooden fence keeps readers from seeing the project, though some may guess at what’s happening as animal-shaped slides and swings are unloaded. Timmers’s acrylic paintings present big-eyed, cheerful animals busy on the job using realistic looking tools and trucks. The brown of the dirt lot and fence (which gets a makeover, too) contrast with increasing splashes of color—the animals themselves, as well as the whimsical playground fixtures. The result is a joyful cacophony of color and activity. Ages 3–6. [em]Author’s agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (June) [/em]