School Library Journal Review
Toddler-PreS-The bouncy rhyming text and bold acrylic illustrations chronicle a crew of cheerful animals through a weeklong building project. Young construction enthusiasts and animal lovers alike will be delighted by the zany details in the pictures as the grinning, googly-eyed beasties clear, bulldoze, and smooth the lot; bring in playground equipment; landscape; and assemble and paint a playground. The energetic rhyme and bright paintings make this a natural storytime crowd-pleaser. The illustrations provide plenty of material for discussion and repeated readings. VERDICT This title is bound to be popular with a broad range of preschoolers when shared either one-on-one or in a group setting.-Rachel Anne Mencke, St. Matthew's Parish School, Pacific Palisades, CA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
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. Author's agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
An animal construction crew works each day of the week to complete a fun surprise for the neighborhood.Sunday is "Dream day! / Study, scribble, scheme day. / Map, measure, plan a treasure. / Gather up a team day!" A tiny mouse acts as crew boss, checking notes on a clipboard and happily shouting into a miniature bullhorn. The rest of the goggle-eyed crew can't wait to get to work. On Monday, the diggers arrive (and the rhyming verse makes its only stumble). Timmers gleefully stretches the excavator's cab to accommodate the giraffe's long neck. Tuesday brings the road rollersand skateboard, roller-skate, and unicycle rollers, too. A family of worms is displaced (with suitcases strapped to their backs)but not to worry, they return in the end. Deliveries of brightly colored equipment roll in, while hammers swing and drills buzz. The construction site is booming all week. But what are they building? The final reveal is none too shocking, but it's still fun to spot all of the animals who made appearances along the way (and see a fitting tribute to each construction animal who worked so hard).The lively text supports the joy, but in this case, the delight is in the details. (Picture book. 2-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
