Parents' Guide to

Someone Builds the Dream

By Mandie Caroll, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Lovely tribute to tradespeople has great art, musical text.

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This gem of a book wows on all fronts as it gently encourages kids to appreciate the skilled trades. The gorgeous cover art of Someone Builds the Dream grabs the reader's attention first. A woman in hardhat stands on an outcropping, back to the reader, a large wrench slung over her shoulder. She's looking at a newly constructed bridge, framed by a cloud-flecked sky, tree-covered mountains, and a meandering river. Her gaze invites the reader to admire the bridge with same wonder and respect that is in her stance. Long's cover art sets the tone for the beautifully drawn pages that follow, and the text sings with a buoyant rhythm, pleasing rhymes, and the repeated reminder that "someone has to build the dream."

Definitely read this one aloud to fully enjoy the musicality of Wheeler's wonderful writing. Young readers will especially delight in the final product that gets "built" — the very book they are reading! All these delights work together to communicate the potent message to remember the hard-working people who create the physical world in which we live, learn, work, and play. This pitch-perfect picture book will please little makers (and their adults) for years to come.

Book Details

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