Build, Dogs, Build: A Tall Tail

Construction-worker dogs

by James Horvath

Join head foreman Duke and his crew of worker dogs on a busy day of construction fun in this colorful picture book written and illustrated by James Horvath. With lively scenes showing accurately illustrated vehicles in action, this book will be a joy to read out loud for truck-obsessed readers and their parents!

In Build, Dogs, Build, our favorite doggy construction team is pulling down an old building to make way for a new one! Using equipment like cranes, bulldozers, dump trucks, and cement mixers, these busy dogs must race to finish the job in this fun follow-up to Dig, Dogs, Dig.

Genres: Picture Books, Construction, Dogs, Childrens, Animals, Storytime, Kids

40 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 2013

About the author

James Horvath has worked as a designer and children's illustrator for more than fifteen years. In 2002 he established Jamestoons Studios (with a workforce of one) so he could focus more on his illustration. When not scratching and scribbling at his drawing table, he plays with his two young sons and wife, bangs around on the banjo, surfs, and generally has a lot of fun. A lifelong devoted cartoon fan, James Horvath lives with his family on California's Central Coast.

Reviews

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Levi loves this series about Duke and his construction crew. Great rhyming while learning about the construction process and having some fun in the middle.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* art
3* story/rhyme

I ruined the story for Squirt. I asked him to find the little black cat on each page, and now he pays no attention to the words whatsoever but triumphantly points to the creature, exclaiming "You lose!"

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will admit that I did not have high expectations for a rhyming book about dogs doing construction, but this is a great book! It is perfect for kids who want to learn about the construction process—from bulldozers to concrete to finish work, etc. The dogs are cute and the text is factual but light-hearted and fun to read. Definitely check this one out!

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delight! I had grabbed this first, so will have to go back and read Dig, dogs dig ASAP. It tells how a group of dogs tear down a building so as to build a new building, a high rise. Bright cheerful illustrations and a happy group of dogs having fun while working. Hand this to almost any truck obsessed kid....I could have used this last week....and don't forget to look for the cat on every page for more fun! Unfortunately the jacket will cover up the cat on the end pages but other than that, this book is flawless fun!

[Brenda Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book from a Goodreads Firstreads Giveaway.
I absolutely loved this children's book! I entered the giveaway to give the book to my great-grandson. When I won, Mr. Horvath was kind enough to inscribe the book to him personally. I know it will become a cherished favorite. I look forward to more books in the series.

[Cortney Garceau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: The Most Magnificent Thing

Author & Illustrator: Ashley Spires

Genre: Picture Book, Fiction

Theme(s): Mathematical Concepts, Problem Solving

Opening line/sentence:

“This is a regular girl and her best friend in the whole wide world. They do all kinds of things together. They race. They eat. They explore. They relax.”

Brief Book Summary:

The little girl works with her best friend to create something that she had a “magnificent idea” about. She problem solves, explores, strategizes and even has some up and downs until she finally creates her magnificent idea.

Response to Two Professional Reviews:

Tara-Michelle Ziniuk and Shelle Rosenfeld both focus in their reviews about how this story represents that not everything is easy and that’s okay. The story shows how the little girl had to face many trials and errors until she created the more magnificent thing.

Tell Me Framework:

Like(s): The story shows that you can use different materials to create objects.

Dislike(s): The settings illustrations could have been detailed more. It looks like there was little effort into the setting.

Patterns(s): The little girl goes through trial and error to reach her goal of completion.

Puzzle(s): Where did the little girl get her magnificent idea from?

Consideration of Instructional Application:

In the classroom, the teacher can read this story to the children when talking about Recycling and reusing objects. For an activity, the teacher can provide, or the children can find loose items and create something out of it.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

We own a copy of Dig, Dogs, Dig and recently discovered there were two other titles in the series, Build, Dogs, Build being one of them.

Like Dig, Dogs, Dig, there are several aspects of this book that I enjoy. The pages have a lot going on in them that make it enjoyable for multiple reads. e.g., you can usually find something new in the page. Our typical reading process these days is to read the story but to pause on each page with questions like "can you find this object?" "Can you find the dog with a newspaper?" "Which dog is driving the crane?" and of course, "Can you find Jinx the cat?" Jinx is usually on every single page though sometimes he's quite difficult to find. The meter of the rhyming text is pleasant and the story is easy to learn which makes reading the book together fun on successive reads.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Which do you prefer, Goodreaders?
* Books about dogs,
* Or books about trucks?
With this story, readers get both.

Now, Meet The Doggy Construction Team

Duke is the head foreman. His busy crew of workers -- they're all dogs too.

What do they do on a busy day of construction work?

Trucks in action -- what could be more entertaining?

James Horvath treats us to a lively tail about work, work, work. He has worked hard himself, providing both the lively text and the endearing illustrations.

Yes, I call this a FIVE STAR book!

[H. L. Reyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son raced with eagerness towards the library shelf displaying ‘Build, Dogs, Build’ the moment he saw it (over a year ago now)! Since that day we have purchased and re-read this book hundreds of times! While the colorful, entertaining illustrations are quick to steal a child’s heart, the overall message shines through in an impressionable way - dedication, teamwork, and hard work are all necessary facets of getting a job done. Needless to say, we love it.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The rhythm is not great in some places and the rhymes are sometimes forced. The idea is cute, but someone else pointed out the lack of female characters in the story (there is only one), and now I can't unsee that. I'm not looking for a 50/50 representation, but one pink dog doesn't cut it.

[Daleena Pray · Rating 5 out of 5]

The unique illustrations delighted me. I loved the art reference of the construction workers out on a beam having lunch. My classmate's son is heading off to study something about construction soon and it made me think of how valuable all these jobs are that this book presents.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging book that shows us how a building is built. It reminds me of a mix of Go, Dog, Go and Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy. I love how it shows both boy dogs and girl dogs in the construction trade!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Neurocomp · Rating 4 out of 5]

any time your nephew makes you read a book repetitively...its a good book

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute.

[Peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good way to go to enter the kids into a world where you can be a construction worker, what better way than dogs?

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is our current favorite nightly read-alouds. My son loves all things to do with construction. For the most part the words are rhythmic and flow well together.

[Christine Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Building Storytime. Dogs bulldoze a building and rebuild from the ground up. A little long for my purposes, but pretty good.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Construction dogs and puns yay

[Nanny B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun rhyming story
Cute illustrations

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little boys loved it.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dig, Dogs, Dig: A Construction Tail is awesome and this follow up with Build, Dogs, Build: A Tall Tail is just as grand. Very educational with tons of construction terminology as well as packed with fun rhymes and great rhythm. The illustrations provide a lot to look at and entertainment too. I'm sure plenty of fun is at hand with this picture book. I look forward to more Dogs books from James Horvath.

I received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it. I received no other compensation for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.


posted: http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2...

[Shaley Nagle]

My two favorite authors when I was just learning how to read were Richard Scarry and Dr. Seuss. Well, if ever there was the book that was the perfect blend of the the two, it would have to be this book! It tells the tale of head foreman Duke and his team of tail-waggin' friends as they demolish an old building and construct a new one. The illustrations are adorable, cheery and brightly colored. The story is told in classic rhyming style and is both in-depth and humorous. Children of all ages will love poring over this book with all the wonderfully detailed illustrations... can you find the black cat pouncing from page to page? Pick up this great title for the little construction worker in your life!

[Stella Fowler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why aren't there more girls in construction books? And why is the only 1 girl dog in this one pink?

Okay, I'll admit, I'm a girly girl. I like sparkles and glitter and all that. But I also like construction sites and using a lathe (yeah, a lathe, I know how to use one) and welding. Immediately, with our picture books, we're already showing girls that this isn't the place for them. And that makes me sad.

I love the rhyming in this book, frankly, I couldn't rhyme my way out of a paper bag. And I really want to give it more stars, but I just can't because I'm disturbed by the whole girl thing. And that really detracted from the entire book.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorite books is Go, Dog, Go! by PD Eastman. I studied those pictures for hours, counted the dogs on each page and counted how many of each color were on each page. It was great fun, culminating in that fabulous dog party in the tree.

Is Build, Dogs, Build a purposeful homage to Go, Dog, Go? It sure captures the joie de vivre of those original dogs. And as a bonus, it ends with a dog party...this time at the penthouse pool terrace.

I LOVE finding good rhyming read-alouds that appeal to boys!

[Kate McGinty aka Caryn Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this colorful picture book, a group of construction worker dogs builds a new skyscraper. Their canine foreman oversees it all, from dismantling the old building to creating a new one, to celebrating at the end of a job well done and moving on to the next assignment.

Build, Dogs, Build would be very popular with kids who love to learn about construction, and the eye-catching illustrations, energetic dogs, and generous details about creating buildings just add to the fun. Although the rhyming text is stilted in spots, it still contains enough vigor and detail to keep the pace moving.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner to go with Dig, Dogs, Dig; this time the construction dog crew builds a skyscraper. Charming cast, lots of happy action, and a good swing to it. My five year old loves this one too.

Note to parents: in this one, the pink dog, Roxy, is more active and is shown as a welder, etc. Again, it's unclear whether Roxy is a girl dog or boy dog, but he/she may be a role-model for pink-wearing-constructionistas/os.

[Tee Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author. The illustrations are delightful with a sense of humor and add more to the story. Our toddler loves anything to do with construction and building and Dig Dogs Dig is one of his favorite books and so he was delighted when he saw his friends in another story. I think he still likes the Dig Dogs Dig book best, but he chooses this one nealy as often. We are looking forward to his third book.

[Debbie Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, fun book. A lot of Colorful illustrations and activity. You'll fall in love with Duke and the crew instantly. This is actually the 2nd book. If you missed it, you've got to get the 1st book called Dig Dogs Dig. It may be a book about construction, but it's not just for boys, the girls will love it too.There is a female dog "Roxy" on Duke's crew. You won't be disappointed.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great introduction to the WHOLE process of construction. From the demolition to the pipes and drains, to laying the floor and doing the steel girders etc. all the way to the finishing work. and it RHYMES the whole time. I'm going to have to find a chance to read this book at storytime. There are humorous bits in the illustrations that the kids will love.