Product Description

"Hey, you guys! Let's get to work." At the construction site, the workers gather. Their machines are ready and waiting. A busy day is about to begin. Rhythmic text and bold, graphic illustrations convey all the energy and excitement of the day.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53854 in Books
• Published on: 1997-09-30
• Released on: 1997-08-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Board book
• 17 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780694011070
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
As with his recent booksTrains, Trucks, Airplanes and BoatsMachines at Work is characterized by bold, black outlines and vivid colors. Barton takes youngsters through an entire day at a construction site. The workers, a multiracial group of men and women, arrive and begin their day. Unlike other books on big machines for this age group, Barton's is not a catalogue of heavy equipment. Each vibrant spread shows people and machines actively working. The short, punchy narrative reinforces the dynamics of the illustrations. Kids are fascinated by dump trucks, bulldozers, cranes, cement trucks, etc. This will prove a popular read-aloud for preschoolers and satisfying read-alone for beginners. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1 Barton's bold double-page il lustrations depict a busy day at a con struction site as workers (with the posi tive inclusion of women) knock down a building and start a new one. In Barton's characteristic style, the bright primary colors and chunky shapes outlined in thick black lines convey an effect that is not static. Energy and action abound. The illustrations are accompanied by the simplest possible text, a one-line descrip tion. The machines shown are not named, but their functions are described. The sequence of events is clear and easi ly followed. Barton draws young readers and listeners into the book by the initial call to work. (``Hey, you guys!'') and the use of the first person-plural (``Let's get to work''). This visual treat, dished up with a nice helping of simple information, will entertain the very young. Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School Library, South Portland, Maine
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Byron Barton is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs; The Three Bears: The Little Red Hen; Machines at Work; I Want to Be an Astronaut; and a series of board books:Big Machines, Dinosaurs, Tools, and Zoo Animals.He is also the illustrator of The Little Factory, written by Sarah Weeks.He lives in Sarasota, FL.

Customer Reviews

Construction for the young 'uns
When you write as many reviews of children's books as I do (and is there any more pompous way to begin a sentence, I wonder) you sometimes find yourself at a loss for words when it comes to the simpler ones. And author/illustrator Byron Barton is, if nothing else, the patron saint of picture book straightforwardness. There is no wry undertone to a Barton book. No sly wit. No winks or nods to parents and educators beneath the simple childlike text. Nope. Byron Barton is an author that writes stories for children and children alone. In "Machines At Work", Barton (who's millions of books have covered every topic from planes to dinosaurs) tackles that perpetual toddler fascination - - the worksite.

In this particular book, we observe a wide variety of small workers (male, female, white, black, etc.) off to work. Some climb readily into their machines. Others dictate instructions from below. For this day, the workers knock down a building, bulldoze trees, dump rubble, take a lunch break, build a building, and build a road (amongst other activities). Then the expressionless crew heads for home after a long and satisfying day. Says the text, "More work tomorrow".

The book begins with the sentence, "Hey, you guys!". For those parents amongst you who remember the heyday of that classic PBS show, "The Electric Company", you know how best to read that line. Otherwise, the sentences in this book tend to be instructions. The narrator (and, hence, the child reading the book) tells the little people what to do and they do it. I was intrigued by the prior reviewer of this book who commented that though we see the workers apparently build a road and building, no final product is ever shown at the end. It would be nice to see the result of all this work. Obviously Barton thinks kids would be far more interested in the breaking down and building up than in the end products. I was also a little amazed at the amount of destruction in this book as opposed to the significantly smaller amount of construction.

But these aren't really criticisms. If you've a kid who likes machines that go vroom and boom, it's hard to find fault with this book. There are plenty of simple words with thick black lines for kids to understand. No, it won't name the machines one by one. You'll have to find a different book for that. Still, it's a nice enough preschool title to entrance those kiddies who're already enamored of these friendly agents of destruction. A simple text that is certain to find a wide appreciative audience.

Simplicity is its strong suit!
When I first got this for my son (2 years), I thought "What a snooze-fest!" We were still high on the Mo Willems wave, still in love with Knuffle Bunny and the slightly off-kilter viewpoint of the Pigeon, so the utter barrenness and simplicity of Machines at Work honestly put me off. But, as it is all about the baby (and don't he know it!), Connor simply loves it! Although he is fickle (we have now moved on to the pop-up Bug series by David A. Carter) it firmly held the New Boy Times #1 bedseller slot for a good 3 weeks (an eternity to the toddler set). It also was known to douse many a tantrum (great diversion - "I know you just ka-bonked your head on the dining room table for the fortieth time today, but LOOK AT THESE COOL TRUCKS!") and entertain on long car rides.

The story (as it is) involves a diverse work crew doing stuff with simple 4-5 word narration for each page. It is so simple, it is almost zen-like. And Connor came to be able to repeat each phrase as we turned the page - as soon as I opened the cover he would gleefully shoud out "Hey, you guys!". Reading this to him at bedtime has become one of the fondest memories of my fatherhood experience, and hopefully one of my son's funnest moments.

So So
Its is better than some of the "truck" books out there but it's a bit pricey. Most truck books just identify lots of variations on backhoes but this one at least has a little bit of a story. However, to me it seemed a bit disjointed. First they worked on the road and then the building and then the road again. It tried to be sequential but somehow never came together. Also, it was disappointing not to see some final product (a finished building or road, etc). I would not have bought it if I could have looked through it in its entirety. I just relied on the reviews.