Building Machines: An Interactive Guide to Construction Machines

Graham and Ballestros invite readers to build nine two-dimensional construction vehicles with moving parts, using punch-out cardboard pieces, nuts, bolts, string, cogs, and wheels. A pegboard detaches from the cover to serve as a surface for creating each machine, as readers are instructed to use plastic bolts to attach a cement mixer’s drum, bulldozer’s blade, and other components to the board’s grid (“Push four bolts up through the base at H-13, J-13, H-17, and P-17,” reads a typical line of instructions). Ballestros’s cheerful, digitally illustrated scenes show construction workers in the process of building a school, operating machines that resemble the ones readers are putting together. The tactile elements, construction details, and ease with which the vehicles come together should provide a sense of satisfaction for budding gearheads. Ages 5–7. (Apr.)