Mighty, Mighty, Construction Site

This is a fantastic book. I'll explain below, but if you have a toddler who is even slightly interested in trucks, he or she will love this book. This review's broken into three parts: the artwork, the story, and the effect on my son. First, the artwork is beautiful. It is realistic while still being playful. This isn't abstract art, but an honest-to-goodness return to childlike renderings of gigantic construction equipment having fun while getting work done. It looks like the artists used colored pencils (lots of blue and orange) on rough white and black paper. This softens the massive iron characters while keeping the images clean. The pictures are a delight to look at, and fascinate the boy too. It is a welcome relief from all the computer generated art that has invaded much of childrens' media lately. I wouldn't say the pictures should be framed and put up on a wall, but, well, yeah, they probably should. I'd put a few up if it wouldn't mean cutting up the book - a few are pretty majestic. Second, the story is clear, simple, and perfect. Some jobs are too much to do on your own, and it's OK to ask for help. The 5 trucks from the original "Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site" wake up in the morning, and have to build a huge building. They know they can't do it alone, so they call 5 new trucks to help out. Each truck pairs up with a new one to do things they couldn't do alone. For example, Cement Mixer needs to pour cement on an upper floor of the building, which he can't reach. So, he gets help from Pumper Truck to get it up there. It's a task neither could complete on their own. What a wonderful way to present teamwork and friendship! In the end, all the trucks snuggle up and go to sleep, too, so it's a perfect segue to bedtime. One small critique I'd make is that sometimes the rhymes are a little clunky. But, that is easy to forgive for such a beautiful story. Also, they make sure to use important words ("cooperation", "teamwork") on the stresses, just so they're emphasized for little readers. Third, my son has demanded this book be read at least three times every day since he got it. He even demands it be read just before nap time, which he's never done with any other book. Usually, as soon as I read the last word in the book, he immediately tells me to read it again. During the read, he's pretty much spellbound. A few of the pages are cliffhangers, and my son enjoys calling out which new truck is coming down the road. By the end of the book, he always likes to go through and describe which truck does which work. Since he pays such close attention during the read, it tends to slow him down and prepare him to go to sleep. During the day, I hear him mumbling out lines he heard from the book while playing with his trucks. We got the original "Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site" last winter, and it has been a nightly read since then. Now, he loves reading both of these books together, since they are kind of like Part 1 and Part 2 of the same story. As a few of the other reviewers mentioned, the new crew of trucks includes a few girls. I thought this wouldn't be such a big deal for my boy, but I was wrong. Before turning the page to the next pair of trucks, my son always makes me identify which one is the girl and which the boy. Sometimes I get it wrong, and he says "Noooo! THAT's the girl, THAT's the boy!" Just to make sure they're always equal, he even decided Dump Truck (a boy) was a girl, since his partner Front-end Loader is a boy. This book is great. For parents: If you don't have it, get it. Your kid will love it. For the authors: *PLEASE* write more books! I'll get every one!!

"Mighty, Mighty Construction Site" is a great book!! Just like "Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site", it has a great story, good rhymes, and beautiful illustrations that my little one, my husband, and I all adore. My 2yo son absolutely LOVES to read. We read A LOT... sometimes even 10-15 in a sitting. So, when I say this book and its prequel are my son's favorite books right now, that is definitely saying something! We've had "Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site" since he was a baby. It's always been one we all enjoy. Recently, our son got REALLY into that book (and construction trucks in general), to the point that he wants to read it multiple times every day. So I just HAD to buy "Mighty, Mighty Construction Site" the moment I found out it existed. It didn't let me down! Now we read it first and then the other one almost every single night. I will say there is quite a lot of repetition between the two books, which is a bit annoying when you're reading them frequently. However, that's also kind of nice, because repetition is a great way for toddlers to continue learning. I love how the story still includes the original characters yet brings in new ones, too - especially the diversity of actually having some females! I also love the messages about asking for help when you need it, teamwork and working together to get something done. I highly recommend this book for any child, male or female, infant through age 10 or so - especially those who love trucks! PS: If your child loves vehicles and/or great rhyming books, I also recommend: "Busy Trucks on the Go" - by Eric Ode and Kent Culotta "Little Blue Truck" and others in the series - by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry "Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night" and others in the series - by Brianna Caplan Sayres and Christian Slade

My toddler loves this book!

Mom said the tot really enjoyed the book. I bought another one for a Christmas gift.

all the construction site books are adorable - so fun to read to and with kids

I bought many books in this series and my 18months asked me to read every single day. Very recommended!

I was never a car kid. From my earliest memories I was a "dinosaur kid" - the kid that can pronounce Archaeopteryx and Pachycephalosaurus at the age of 4. That annoying kid. Anyway, my son is not that kid. He is a airplane / car / tractor / truck kid, any type of machine that makes beeps and has flashing lights and he is all over it. He was absolutely in love with the partner book "Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site" so it was a no brainer to buy this for him as well. The story I tell everybody about this book is that one time while on the road my husband asked my son if he saw an excavator in the construction site we were driving past. He looked up very firmly at him and said "Daddy, that's not excavator, that's backhoe". On our way home we passed the construction site again and he was completely right. He wasn't even 3 years old at the time. Amazing what kids can learn from well written and illustrated books.

My toddler is a big fan of Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site and we bought this for him right away. This book has a nice plot -- the original five trucks from Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site need to call some friends to help them finish a big job. There's a message about the benefits of teamwork, but it doesn't hit kids over the head with a strong moral. It's a nice balance -- the lesson is there for them but kids are free to enjoy a great story about construction vehicles. I was overjoyed to find some female trucks in here, a great improvement from the original book. The rhythm and rhymes are great and will keep an active child engaged in the text. The pictures are just so charming. I love the friendly faces on the trucks, as does my toddler. This is bound to become a classic. I would recommend this for ages 2 on up, but serious truck lovers (like my 21 month old) will begin to enjoy it sooner.

I bought this for my 6 year old. He likes it but I think it maybe better for someone younger

Le gusto a mi hijo

Good. A bit costly.

Our family is obssessed with these books. It’s a regular read at bedtime and throughout the day. Despite reading over and over again, it’s one of those books you never get sick of. Our son is all about trucks and these are perfect. Illustrations are also beautiful!

Nice rhyme and good story. Absolutely exceeded my expectations of a continuation of a great first book. I love to read it to my kids just as much as my kids love to hear it.