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Machines Go to Work in the City
Toddlers love machines and things that go, and this book gives them everything they want, from a bucket truck to a tower crane to an airplane. Every other spread has an interactive gatefold which extends the original picture to three pages, revealing something new about each situation.
The last spread diagrams each city machine, providing additional information for young readers to pore over again and again.
William Low's classically-trained artist's eye adds a new layer to this genre, and both parents and children will appreciate the beautiful illustrations, the attention to detail, and the clever situational twists revealed by lifting the flaps.
The last spread diagrams each city machine, providing additional information for young readers to pore over again and again.
William Low's classically-trained artist's eye adds a new layer to this genre, and both parents and children will appreciate the beautiful illustrations, the attention to detail, and the clever situational twists revealed by lifting the flaps.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published June 5, 2012
1 person is currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
William Low
42 books11 followersWilliam Low is a much-lauded illustrator, author, and painter who has received numerous awards. His books include Chinatown and Old Penn Station. He lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
January 29, 2018
William Low shows how machines and the people who use them work in the city. He answers questions about who will fix this or that. Readers learn a lot about transportation without a lot of text in this interesting and informative book.
January 5, 2021
"VROOM! Here comes the garbage truck, making its run!
(TURN THE PAGE)
When the truck makes its last pickup, are the garbage collectors done for the day?
(OPEN A HIDDEN FLAP)
No, they must go to the landfill to empty the trash."
With beautiful detailed illustrations fo particular machines, Low reaches out to the reader – informing, then asking a question, and then giving an unexpected answer.
Low doesn’t shy away from domain specific vocabulary for our young listeners – train yard, engineer, brakes, giant vacuum truck, water pipe, vacuum truck, etc. LOVE the BACK MATTER which give more details about each of the “machines” featured in the book. You could easily read this aloud – a couple of times and leave in the classroom library. Even with emergent and early writers, you could create opportunities to sketch, label, and write in response. Young writers could also use this book as a mentor text for their own writing – using the structure of informing, asking questions, and giving unexpected answers.
(TURN THE PAGE)
When the truck makes its last pickup, are the garbage collectors done for the day?
(OPEN A HIDDEN FLAP)
No, they must go to the landfill to empty the trash."
With beautiful detailed illustrations fo particular machines, Low reaches out to the reader – informing, then asking a question, and then giving an unexpected answer.
Low doesn’t shy away from domain specific vocabulary for our young listeners – train yard, engineer, brakes, giant vacuum truck, water pipe, vacuum truck, etc. LOVE the BACK MATTER which give more details about each of the “machines” featured in the book. You could easily read this aloud – a couple of times and leave in the classroom library. Even with emergent and early writers, you could create opportunities to sketch, label, and write in response. Young writers could also use this book as a mentor text for their own writing – using the structure of informing, asking questions, and giving unexpected answers.
May 7, 2018
This engaging picture book has so much information that it is classified as non-fiction. It is arranged in such a way that it seamlessly connects machines as diverse as a garbage truck and an airplane. Machines featured include a garbage truck, a commuter train, a walkie-talkie, a vacuum truck, a traffic light, a crane truck, a baggage carrier, and an airplane.
Following the story, which includes lift up and lift out pages, there is descriptive information about each machine. Due to the last impressive fold-out, the life span of the book may be a little dicey.
Following the story, which includes lift up and lift out pages, there is descriptive information about each machine. Due to the last impressive fold-out, the life span of the book may be a little dicey.
June 6, 2025
Simple yet engaging
July 14, 2025
I liked the openable flaps. 2 year old liked it too
October 12, 2016
Title: Machines Go to Work in the City
Author: William Low
Illustrator: William Low
Genre: Moveable book (lift the flaps), Picture books, Nonfiction
Themes: Transport, Machines, Jobs
Opening line/Sentence:
Vroooom!
Here comes the garbage truck, making its run!
Brief book summary: Every other page in the book introduces a new type of vehicle or machine. These pages describe an action the machine is doing. The next page then asks a question about the machine or workers operating the machine. You can lift a flap in the book next to each machine to find out more about how it will continue to work in the city. In the back of the book all the machines are listed with more information about them and their unique parts.
Professional Recommendation/ Review #1: Ilene Cooper (Booklist, Jul. 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 21)) Starred Review* Kids (well, all right, mostly boys) who love cars and trucks will find this a particularly intriguing look at the big machines working in the city on land and in the sky. When the garbage truck makes its last pickup, is it done for the day? Opening the foldout reveals the answer is no, as the back end of the truck now empties the trash into a landfill. What about the vacuum truck? Can it fix a street s broken water pipe? Pull the flap down this time and see the truck s pipe (and workers) underground. But the vacuum truck only sucks up the water the water pipe will be fixed once the area is dry. The interactive element will keep readers involved, as will the questions and answers, which are informative and not always obvious. The eye-catching paintings will hold them visually, and Low has done a particularly fine job of making the trucks, trains, and planes as handsome as they are sturdy. Placing both men and women of varying ethnicities in the machines is a welcome touch, too. Thoughtful design, dynamic art, and solid information make this a standout, and if that weren’t enough, the picture key at the conclusion gives even more information about each machine.
Professional Recommendation/ Review #2: The Horn Book Guide- Machinery-loving preschoolers are first introduced to a particular situation involving vehicles, from a garbage truck to a tower crane to an airplane. What happens next? Lift a flap (which provides an extended scene of the problem at hand) and find out. Just as they did in Machines Go to Work, Low's painterly illustrations display the drama and excitement of a bustling cityscape.
Response to two professional reviews: The first review really bothered me because the reviewer specifically pointed out that “mostly boys” would probably like this book. I feel like that is a rude, subjective review of the book because the reviewer is just assuming that because the book is about machines that only boys would enjoy it. If I was reviewing the book I would look at things like how the storyline went without even mentioning gender stereotypes. The Horn Book Guide review is much better because when it talks about readers of the book it doesn’t stereotype the kind of readers who might read it. I like how this review phrased the readers as “Machinery-loving preschoolers,” which shows that anyone can read this book.
Evaluation of literary elements: This book contains repetition as a question is asked on every page about what the vehicle is able to do. There are characters shown on every page, but they are more in the background. The characters never speak or are hardly talked about throughout the book. The illustrator used every color of the rainbow on almost every page to give the pages a really vibrant look.
Consideration of Instructional Application: I think this book would be great for a kindergarten classroom when you are starting to introduce them to the subject of transportation. I would have the students brainstorm first what different kinds of transportation they knew about and write their ideas on the board. I would then read them this book for them to learn more about the transportation vehicles they listed, or introduce them to new vehicles that provide transportation.
Author: William Low
Illustrator: William Low
Genre: Moveable book (lift the flaps), Picture books, Nonfiction
Themes: Transport, Machines, Jobs
Opening line/Sentence:
Vroooom!
Here comes the garbage truck, making its run!
Brief book summary: Every other page in the book introduces a new type of vehicle or machine. These pages describe an action the machine is doing. The next page then asks a question about the machine or workers operating the machine. You can lift a flap in the book next to each machine to find out more about how it will continue to work in the city. In the back of the book all the machines are listed with more information about them and their unique parts.
Professional Recommendation/ Review #1: Ilene Cooper (Booklist, Jul. 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 21)) Starred Review* Kids (well, all right, mostly boys) who love cars and trucks will find this a particularly intriguing look at the big machines working in the city on land and in the sky. When the garbage truck makes its last pickup, is it done for the day? Opening the foldout reveals the answer is no, as the back end of the truck now empties the trash into a landfill. What about the vacuum truck? Can it fix a street s broken water pipe? Pull the flap down this time and see the truck s pipe (and workers) underground. But the vacuum truck only sucks up the water the water pipe will be fixed once the area is dry. The interactive element will keep readers involved, as will the questions and answers, which are informative and not always obvious. The eye-catching paintings will hold them visually, and Low has done a particularly fine job of making the trucks, trains, and planes as handsome as they are sturdy. Placing both men and women of varying ethnicities in the machines is a welcome touch, too. Thoughtful design, dynamic art, and solid information make this a standout, and if that weren’t enough, the picture key at the conclusion gives even more information about each machine.
Professional Recommendation/ Review #2: The Horn Book Guide- Machinery-loving preschoolers are first introduced to a particular situation involving vehicles, from a garbage truck to a tower crane to an airplane. What happens next? Lift a flap (which provides an extended scene of the problem at hand) and find out. Just as they did in Machines Go to Work, Low's painterly illustrations display the drama and excitement of a bustling cityscape.
Response to two professional reviews: The first review really bothered me because the reviewer specifically pointed out that “mostly boys” would probably like this book. I feel like that is a rude, subjective review of the book because the reviewer is just assuming that because the book is about machines that only boys would enjoy it. If I was reviewing the book I would look at things like how the storyline went without even mentioning gender stereotypes. The Horn Book Guide review is much better because when it talks about readers of the book it doesn’t stereotype the kind of readers who might read it. I like how this review phrased the readers as “Machinery-loving preschoolers,” which shows that anyone can read this book.
Evaluation of literary elements: This book contains repetition as a question is asked on every page about what the vehicle is able to do. There are characters shown on every page, but they are more in the background. The characters never speak or are hardly talked about throughout the book. The illustrator used every color of the rainbow on almost every page to give the pages a really vibrant look.
Consideration of Instructional Application: I think this book would be great for a kindergarten classroom when you are starting to introduce them to the subject of transportation. I would have the students brainstorm first what different kinds of transportation they knew about and write their ideas on the board. I would then read them this book for them to learn more about the transportation vehicles they listed, or introduce them to new vehicles that provide transportation.
December 25, 2012
Machines Go to Work in the City by William Low features a number of machines in the city along with questions and flaps that reveal added twists and details.
Low's detailed illustrations are engaging. The flaps, some of which open in different directions, literally extend the story and show the answers to the questions posed. A street sweeper, garbage truck, commuter train, vacuum truck, traffic light, bucket truck, tower crane, baggage carrier, and jet airplane are featured. The final double flap reveals a panoramic view, including most of the featured machines in the background. The final three pages give explanations of the equipment and label key parts. My favorite images are the vacuum truck with flap showing tunnel partly flooded, and the panoramic view of the plane ascending with the city below.
While I agree the different directions of lifting the flaps could be confusing and could potentially lead to rips and tears, I would suggest a couple fixes. A small pencil drawn arrow could be added to each flap page. Since this is such a creative book, maybe a taped-on small sign, with a big arrow and the words this way could be added with book tape (see rant below)
*RANT ALERT*
Excuse my curmugeony rant, but rating this book low because the flaps might rip seems unfair. Libraries should be reinforcing the flaps with book tape - period. If they aren't, encourage them to, otherwise they will be wasting money buying replacement copies. I say this based on my experience as a Youth Services Librarian at two libraries that ALWAYS reinforced flaps with booktape. If you own the book, buy some book tape and reinforce it yourself. The life of your books WILL be extended.
*END RANT*
I think this is a great addition to machine and transportation books. The combination of the illustrations, flaps and diagrams in the back make a a winning combination. I would have preferred to have the diagrams bigger and the labels in larger print. 4.5 star rating.
For ages 3 to 5, machines, trucks, construction, transportation, city, things that go, community helpers, and fans of William Low.
Low's detailed illustrations are engaging. The flaps, some of which open in different directions, literally extend the story and show the answers to the questions posed. A street sweeper, garbage truck, commuter train, vacuum truck, traffic light, bucket truck, tower crane, baggage carrier, and jet airplane are featured. The final double flap reveals a panoramic view, including most of the featured machines in the background. The final three pages give explanations of the equipment and label key parts. My favorite images are the vacuum truck with flap showing tunnel partly flooded, and the panoramic view of the plane ascending with the city below.
While I agree the different directions of lifting the flaps could be confusing and could potentially lead to rips and tears, I would suggest a couple fixes. A small pencil drawn arrow could be added to each flap page. Since this is such a creative book, maybe a taped-on small sign, with a big arrow and the words this way could be added with book tape (see rant below)
*RANT ALERT*
Excuse my curmugeony rant, but rating this book low because the flaps might rip seems unfair. Libraries should be reinforcing the flaps with book tape - period. If they aren't, encourage them to, otherwise they will be wasting money buying replacement copies. I say this based on my experience as a Youth Services Librarian at two libraries that ALWAYS reinforced flaps with booktape. If you own the book, buy some book tape and reinforce it yourself. The life of your books WILL be extended.
*END RANT*
I think this is a great addition to machine and transportation books. The combination of the illustrations, flaps and diagrams in the back make a a winning combination. I would have preferred to have the diagrams bigger and the labels in larger print. 4.5 star rating.
For ages 3 to 5, machines, trucks, construction, transportation, city, things that go, community helpers, and fans of William Low.
October 16, 2012
This is an inventive look at machines, combining it with large flaps to open and questions to engage. Low looks at one machine after another that works in the city and then asks a question about it. The questions are not simple either, this is not a book that talks down to its young audience. Instead you have to think a bit. Do the garbage men go home after picking up the garbage? Can the crane operator still work when the building grows taller than the crane? Is the airplane ready to leave when the passengers are on board and the baggage is loaded? Little listeners get to turn the flap to learn the answer and the reason. The answer is given with a quick explanation and then the book moves on to the next machine. It’s just enough information for a preschooler to really enjoy.
Low has created a brisk pace here, never lingering too long and offering exactly the right amount of information. This makes the book very readable, something that can be happily shared at bedtime unlike a lot of nonfiction vehicle books. More information on each machine is offered at the end of the book, complete with labeled parts. Those are pages that young truck fans will linger on.
Low’s illustrations are richly colored. The painted textures add to them with some pages having individual bricks done solely in texture alone. At other times, the sleek metal stands out.
A great pick for your own little machine fan or for public library shelves. Don’t let the flaps scare you off, they are large and just as durable as a regular page. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Low has created a brisk pace here, never lingering too long and offering exactly the right amount of information. This makes the book very readable, something that can be happily shared at bedtime unlike a lot of nonfiction vehicle books. More information on each machine is offered at the end of the book, complete with labeled parts. Those are pages that young truck fans will linger on.
Low’s illustrations are richly colored. The painted textures add to them with some pages having individual bricks done solely in texture alone. At other times, the sleek metal stands out.
A great pick for your own little machine fan or for public library shelves. Don’t let the flaps scare you off, they are large and just as durable as a regular page. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
February 17, 2013
This was a good choice for a one-artist picturebook. Too often it's the writing that is difficult to pull off, so a concept book doesn't really demand the control of a narrative or poem. We get to focus on Low's representational art instead of worrying about whether he can pull off the text. Low has one of those painting styles that looks hyper-realistic from medium distance, but is really highly impressionistic and painterly up close. I liked looking at the cityscape backgrounds to see the textures of windows and different parts of trucks and big machines.
THe 'perfect for little hands' tag on the front is not really true. The copy I have from Poudre Libraries is well handled and ripped many times where the pages fold out, or folded back several wrong ways before turning and folding the page back. But I don't know of any book with flaps that doesn't suffer this trauma. It's a kind of book that challenges hands. If it isn't already a board book, it should be.
The one thing I wish Low had been able to pull off would be a double use of the folding flap. If the back of the flap had somehow been used on the -next- double page spread as well as the current one it would have been ingenious!
THe 'perfect for little hands' tag on the front is not really true. The copy I have from Poudre Libraries is well handled and ripped many times where the pages fold out, or folded back several wrong ways before turning and folding the page back. But I don't know of any book with flaps that doesn't suffer this trauma. It's a kind of book that challenges hands. If it isn't already a board book, it should be.
The one thing I wish Low had been able to pull off would be a double use of the folding flap. If the back of the flap had somehow been used on the -next- double page spread as well as the current one it would have been ingenious!
July 28, 2013
Book 39 Bibliographic Citation:
Low, W. (2012). Machines go to work in the city. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
Age/Grade Level: (Ages 3–8, Grades PS–3)
Summary:
Tour a city and see many of the machines, along with their operators, who keep things humming all day long.
Awards/Reviewing Sources:
Booklist starred (July 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 21))
Horn Book starred (Spring 2013)
Kirkus Reviews (April 15, 2012)
School Library Journal (June 1, 2012)
Curriculum Content/Standard for 21st Century Learner:
This book can double as a preschool class read-aloud for students gaining basic exposure to how the world works and machines along with primary grade children who are learning about communities, city life, and jobs with machines. It offers two sections of varied text and diagrams at the end.
AASL Standard
4.1.2 Read widely and fluently to make connections with self, the world, and previous reading.
Recommendation for student’s personal literature selection:
This would be a fabulous read for preschoolers who love pictures and text about machines! (Personal note: As preschoolers, my two sons would have listened to this book, picked up the flaps, and pointed to the diagrams for hours.)
Genre:
Picture Book/Nonfiction
Low, W. (2012). Machines go to work in the city. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
Age/Grade Level: (Ages 3–8, Grades PS–3)
Summary:
Tour a city and see many of the machines, along with their operators, who keep things humming all day long.
Awards/Reviewing Sources:
Booklist starred (July 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 21))
Horn Book starred (Spring 2013)
Kirkus Reviews (April 15, 2012)
School Library Journal (June 1, 2012)
Curriculum Content/Standard for 21st Century Learner:
This book can double as a preschool class read-aloud for students gaining basic exposure to how the world works and machines along with primary grade children who are learning about communities, city life, and jobs with machines. It offers two sections of varied text and diagrams at the end.
AASL Standard
4.1.2 Read widely and fluently to make connections with self, the world, and previous reading.
Recommendation for student’s personal literature selection:
This would be a fabulous read for preschoolers who love pictures and text about machines! (Personal note: As preschoolers, my two sons would have listened to this book, picked up the flaps, and pointed to the diagrams for hours.)
Genre:
Picture Book/Nonfiction
June 29, 2012
Knowing that all boys love big trucks and other equipement and that there are far too few books on the subject, I grabbed this book when I saw it. The book covers six major pieces of equipment frequently seen in major cities. The realistic illustrations by the author William Low are crisp, colorful and appealing. For each piece of equipment, Low gives a short one sentence description followed by a question about it and then the answer. I really did not like this question format because the questions ranged from too obvious to too impossibly difficult, and seemed nonsensical. While I am sure he was trying to get the children to think about the piece of equipment, it just didn't work. William Low deserves credit for creating a beautiful book on a subject which deserves more attention, but the text is very weak. The best part of the book is the last two pages, which provide a picture of each piece of equipment as well as a brief description and identify its various parts. I wish William Low had used that data as a template for the book.
September 20, 2012
I grabbed one of our library’s copies to look at this today and the textures and saturated colors are just gorgeous. I love that we see a variety of skin tones and gender parity in the humans pictured. While I think it’s cool that the flaps don’t all open the same way, that they open in the direction that makes sense for the illustration, I see practically this is a problem as our copy (which was acquired in August) is already ripped badly on the tunnel flap in such a way that it seems clear to me a child expected that flap to fold out (as the previous two flaps did) instead of down. The crane flap and the final flap (the two other flaps that fold out differently) are both ripped slightly as well.
It’s great that the questions in the text actually lead to additional information – they don’t give the answer in the question, but require some thought. And that final spread of diagrams (and the crane on the CIP page) will be catnip to machine enthusiasts.
It’s great that the questions in the text actually lead to additional information – they don’t give the answer in the question, but require some thought. And that final spread of diagrams (and the crane on the CIP page) will be catnip to machine enthusiasts.
January 4, 2013
I picked this one up because of the theme of "big machines." I have so many students who just love books about big trucks and other machines. The book does a good job of illustrating how these machines help the city. It is a more urban setting than my students can appreciate, but they need the exposure of more "big city." I had a problem with the layout of the book. The pages unfold, and the cover even mentions the unfolding pages just right for small hands. Well, no, that just isn't true. Small hands don't handle these foldouts well. I got my copy from the public library, and it's been in circulation for only 3 months. There are so many rips and tears (some well repaired and others not) already that I know the book won't last much longer. The pages open and unfold to support the machine in use, but most readers expect the page to unfold to the right. It was sad to see such a beautiful book already so damaged and ragged. I will not be buying this one for my library.
July 24, 2014
This beautifully designed picture book is a sequel to Low’s Machines Go to Work. Once again he matches each vehicle with an identifying sound. Trucks and cranes, trains and planes, accompanied by the people who drive them, help to keep the city working.
Low’s simple straightforward text includes a question, focusing attention on each machine. Interestingly, the answer is always “No.” However, it is followed by a short explanation. The associated foldout page further enlarges the view.
Morning begins with a garbage truck. Following through the day are a train, vacuum and bucket trucks, and a crane. A rosy sunset sky concludes the book while a baggage carrier services a plane. The plane takes off as night falls for busy machines and tired workers. An expanded panorama of the city unfolds, promising that tomorrow, “they will go to work again.”
Pages at the end include smaller labeled images of the machines with brief descriptions to help with likely questions.
Low’s simple straightforward text includes a question, focusing attention on each machine. Interestingly, the answer is always “No.” However, it is followed by a short explanation. The associated foldout page further enlarges the view.
Morning begins with a garbage truck. Following through the day are a train, vacuum and bucket trucks, and a crane. A rosy sunset sky concludes the book while a baggage carrier services a plane. The plane takes off as night falls for busy machines and tired workers. An expanded panorama of the city unfolds, promising that tomorrow, “they will go to work again.”
Pages at the end include smaller labeled images of the machines with brief descriptions to help with likely questions.
June 29, 2012
Disappointing. The illustrations are terrific! The only problem with them is the foldout pages which will wear quickly. The questions that are featured on each page are awful. They are not ones that the average child could try to answer except when they realize that each one is answered, "no." There is valuable information in the end of the book that could have been better placed on the main pages. Also, some of the "machines" that are featured at the end are not on the main pages and vice versa. A strange choice. Finally, the author could not seem to decide if he was writing a narrative or an informational piece. Sticking with one format would be a better choice.
December 7, 2012
Such a cool book! My 2 year-old son (and I) loved learning about the different functions of the trucks. The illustrations are detailed and stylized and the use of the flaps is creative. The flaps open up, down, and right. Sometimes the flaps are a bit unwieldy, so I was always weary of my son ripping the pages. The last flap opens up into a large square 4 times the size of one page. Unwieldy? Indeed, but if you look closely, you will find each of the trucks from the rest of the book hidden in that last illustration. We had a lot of fun looking for all of those trucks. The glossary of the trucks and their parts at the back of the book is a nice and helpful addition.
March 28, 2013
This is one of those books that libraries can't own enough copies of. Within the first few circulations, they look well-loved. (This library copy of a 2012 book is already torn in several places and missing a page.) If you've ever walked past a construction site with a two-year-old, you know how fascinating everything from a garbage truck to a building crane can be. And, this book adds to the reality of the experience with foldout pages that show how that giant hose goes down under the street. Even the author notes at the end have the kind of technical terminology about the large pieces of equipment that little ones will love having named and explained to them.
May 25, 2016
This was obviously a well-loved book (from the number of taped pages) that we picked up after DiscoveryTime at one of the branch libraries. My son is fascinated by this book, might have to pick it up for him. It talks about all the cities that work in the city and even gives little info bits on each vehicle in the back end pages. The kids learn about trash trucks, bucket trucks (which my son automatically names telehandlers - thank you "Dinosaurs Dig!"), tower cranes, commuter trains, airplanes, and baggage carriers through nice fold-out spreads. This would be a great book to use for a Transportation DiscoveryTime. Recommended for ages 3-7, 5 stars.
October 22, 2022
I am deeply appreciative of these books by William Low. My toddler only wants to read about machines and so many of these kids books about trains and trucks are indescribably boring and half assed, put together with no more thought than grabbing the attention of a passing vehicle fanatic. These two machines books by Low are totally different: they are interactive, with beautiful illustrations, and help your toddler think about how machines fit into the human activity in cities and towns. I adore them (so does my son) and I wish there were more than two!
June 19, 2012
GREAT book! Each page introduces a new machine (i.e. garbage truck, train, vacuum truck, cars and trucks, tower crane, baggage carrier, airplane) with a fold out illustration. Artwork consists of full page paintings and are exciting both in their execution as well as the machines featured. F2ollowing the story are labeled diagrams describing how each machine works and all of its parts. Great read aloud!
January 31, 2013
Things I like about this machine book:
+ detailed back matter summarizing the machines discussed in the book
+ beautiful/realistic spreads done in paint
+ cool big fold out flaps
Things that weren't that hot:
+ the text. I was confused at what age level the text was trying to capture. The onomatopoeia and the questions did fit well.
So this works as a pretty book about machines that an adult can just talk through with a pre-readers or have them tell you a story.
+ detailed back matter summarizing the machines discussed in the book
+ beautiful/realistic spreads done in paint
+ cool big fold out flaps
Things that weren't that hot:
+ the text. I was confused at what age level the text was trying to capture. The onomatopoeia and the questions did fit well.
So this works as a pretty book about machines that an adult can just talk through with a pre-readers or have them tell you a story.
April 1, 2013
Knowing that all boys love big trucks and other equipement and that there are far too few books on the subject, I grabbed this book when I saw it. The book covers six major pieces of equipment frequently seen in major cities. The realistic illustrations by the author William Low are crisp, colorful and appealing. For each piece of equipment, Low gives a short one sentence description followed by a question about it and then the answer.
December 27, 2013
Loved this book! Young readers, especially boys, will pour over the illustrations of the city trucks and machines at work. I love how the illustrations are detailed, but the text also gives information to the reader. Not only will the reader be entertained, but they will also learn something new on each page.
I liked the additional information about each truck/machine the author included at the back of the book.
I liked the additional information about each truck/machine the author included at the back of the book.
July 20, 2015
ALA Notable Book (2013)
I was frustrated by the pacing in this book. Every other spread builds up to a reveal when you open the flap--but the answers you find there don't build the story up, they just feel anti-climactic. I'm sure it could be the perfect book for a child who is obsessed with trucks and machinery, but the complicated flaps at the end would make it a difficult story time read. There is a nice photoglossary in the back with names and tasks of each type of truck in the story.
I was frustrated by the pacing in this book. Every other spread builds up to a reveal when you open the flap--but the answers you find there don't build the story up, they just feel anti-climactic. I'm sure it could be the perfect book for a child who is obsessed with trucks and machinery, but the complicated flaps at the end would make it a difficult story time read. There is a nice photoglossary in the back with names and tasks of each type of truck in the story.
February 26, 2013
This book is beautifully illustrated. The text is somewhat confusing in places. But it is a great conversation starter on the many jobs and responsibilities that make a city run. The best part is a gorgeous view of New York City from an airplane at the end. A necessity for machine lovers preschool and early elementary.
March 8, 2013
This is a great book for toddler or preschool storytime. The only downsides are that the pages open in unexpected way which can lead to ripping. Additionally, each page asks a question to which the answer is always no. It seems a bit strange. But the pictures are colorful and the neat flip out pages will keep kids involved.
July 22, 2012
This is a really cool book about machines in the city. I know a few little guys who are going to go crazy over this book. It even includes lift the flap action. Excited to read this one for story time.
September 12, 2012
The artwork was great. Kids who like truck books will enjoy this one. I just worry about the longevity of this title in libraries. The flaps, which are cool, might tend to rip because they open in different directions.
September 13, 2012
While the subject material is promising and the illustrations are full of detailed flaps, the questions posed are challenging and answered in a negative manner. Labels and descriptions at the end of the book explain various parts of the vehicles well.
December 17, 2014
This is a fascinating book to read to kids that love machines or vehicles of all sorts. It have beautiful pictures that capture the children's attention. I recommend this book to everyone who has kids.
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