Builders and Buildings

Time to get rolling/Duke just got a call/Load up the bulldozer and big wrecking ball. Head foreman Duke and his crew of dogs are ready to pull down an old building and build up a new one! With cranes, bulldozers, dump trucks, and cement mixers all on the job, these busy dogs are the perfect construction team. But with so much to do, will they finish the building in time? [Barnes & Noble]

The oldest child narrates the family's move from the city to build their own house on farm land. How the family works together planning and building while living in a tiny trailer pays homage to the author's parents who are introduced in photographs and a note at the end.

This picture book celebrates Islam's beauty and traditions. From a red prayer rug to a blue hijab, everyday colors are given special meaning as young readers learn about clothing, food, and other important elements of Islamic culture, with a young Muslim girl as a guide.

As readers quickly comprehend, building a house is a complex project requiring the cooperative efforts of many people. Beginning with the architect who draws the plans, readers meet the surveyors, equipment operators, carpenters, plumbers, and other people who produce a building. The book concludes with a family moving in, ready to make the house a home.

Introduce young readers to basic construction concepts through the eyes of five friends keen on building a doghouse for their pet pooch, Max. Yulee, Martin, Nick, Sally and Pedro head to the library, where they learn about foundations, beams, frames and other building fundamentals. Fun facts, bright illustrations and comic-book-style discussions among the characters add to the mix. An activity at the end of the book invites readers to make their own mini doghouse out of marshmallows, paper, glue and craft sticks. [Amazon]

Can you spot the shape? Crisp photographs help children learn about the different shapes you can find in buildings. [Amazon]

A lively rhyming cadence introduces many different houses for various residents. From spiders to birds to stories, each has a place to live — but always, "a house is a house for me!"

Have you ever heard of a hotel made of snow? How would you put a building in space? And who washes the windows on the tallest skyscrapers in the world? Find out about the world's most famous and unique structures, from the ancient Coliseum to eco-friendly stadiums and more. [Amazon review]

Beavers are fascinating animals. They build their own homes and live in family groups. They keep busy with their sharp teeth, powerful tails, and big webbed feet. Their work helps to preserve wetlands. This introduction to beavers explores where they live, what they eat, how they raise their young, and much more.

Historical and technical information on the design and construction of bridges with easy hands-on experiments. Learn about arch, beam, and suspension systems, the "care and feeding" of structures, and reflections on bridges of the future. Find simple projects involving building, measurement, or observation, such as testing the strength of varied paper shapes or constructing a Popsicle-stick truss bridge or-for literary types-writing bridge poems. The book concludes with a challenge for young minds to "think outside the box."

Philip Freelon’s dream became reality when his team was commissioned to design the National Museum of African American History and Culture which opened in the nation’s capital in 2016. Beginning with his childhood, this realistically illustrated biography provides an afterword by the architect and additional resources.

Begun in 1933 and officially opened in May 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge and its awe-inspiring and groundbreaking construction are truly a testament to the power of hope and perseverance. Told from the point of view of a lighthouse keeper’s kids, who watch in fascination as the trucks and crews arrive and steel towers coated in heavy red paint begin to rise above the tempestuous San Francisco Bay, this picture book provides a thrilling visual perspective on each stage of a breathtaking engineering feat.

This workbook book features art and the characters from the picture book Iggy Peck, Architect, and it will inspire young readers with activities of all kinds. Iggy Peck takes readers through more than 40 STEM and design projects, from drafting and doodling to building and blueprints. Aspiring architects and young dreamers will get a sense of the unique mix of science, technology, and art skills used to create lasting structures.

Short, snappy verses invite young readers to participate in the building of a clubhouse, from drawing a plan to brushing paint on the walls. In addition to the poem, there are facts on each spread about each tool and how to use it. Many of the tools will be familiar to children, such as the hammer and the wrench, but this book also introduces some less familiar tools, such as the plane, square and level.

Ever since he was a wee mite (a termite, that is), Roberto has wanted to be an architect. Discouraged by his woodeating family and friends, he decides to follow his dream to the big, bug city. There he meets a slew of not-so-creepy, crawly characters who spark in him the courage to build a community for them all. The mysterious architect chooses to remain anonymous, but ultimately can't avoid the grateful adulation of the carpenter ants, ladybugs, and house flies he has helped.

Terry and Andy are friends who live in a huge tree house complete with a bowling alley, game room, laboratory, and much more all of which lead to fantastic, funny adventures. Comic cartoon illustrations vary the format which ranges from traditional to comic book.

In this quirky, retelling of “The Three Little Pigs,” the pigs and their homes are nods to three famous architects — Frank Gehry, Phillip Johnson, and Frank Lloyd Wright — and their signature homes. Each house is filled with clever details, including furnishings by the architects and their contemporaries. Of course, not all the houses are going to protect the pigs from the wolf’s huffing and puffing. Which one will? The wolf, and readers, are in for a clever surprise ending.

Full-color artwork, including cutaway illustrations and exploded views, explores some of the world's most famous architectural landmarks, including the Paris Opera, the Taj Mahal, and Grand Central Station. [Amazon review]

Why this shape and not that? Why steel instead of concrete or stone? Why put it here and not over there? These questions take [readers] back to the basic process of design from which all structures begin, from the realization of a need for the structure to the struggles of the engineers and designers to map out and create the final construction. The author engages readers’ imaginations and gets them thinking about structures they see and use every day — bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers, domes, and dams. [Amazon review]

This fascinating story of the development of steam engines is told against the backdrop of David Macaulay’s personal narrative of his family’s trip across the ocean from England to the United States in 1957 at age 8. Historical information is accompanied by detailed drawings and schematics of pumps and pistons, early steam engines, steam-powered paddleboats, river steamboats, compound engines, steam turbines, and the building of the SS United States

A journey through the history of architecture, from the earliest mud huts to today’s soaring towers. Chronologically arranged, this large-format book gives each iconic building its own double-page spread featuring an exquisite watercolor illustration and clearly written descriptions, facts, and features. These vibrantly detailed pages are filled with people, animals, and other objects that help bring the buildings to life.

Students discover the basic principles necessary to build all types of structures used in everyday life including bridges, skyscrapers, and other architectural gems. Line art illustrations help to explain projects that demonstrate how these principles keep structures solid. Perfect for kids who wonder why, and love to figure things out! All projects are easily done with materials found around-the-house.

"Every building has a story to tell." From the pyramid erected so that an Egyptian pharaoh would last forever to the dramatic, machine-like Pompidou Center designed by two young architects, these stories of remarkable buildings — and the remarkable people who made them — celebrates the ingenuity of human creation. The extraordinarily detailed illustrations take us inside famous buildings and demonstrate how these amazing structures fit together.