Hard Hat Area: 04/23/12

Whenever I write a review post I start by looking for other blog reviews of the book. In the case of Hard Hat Area by Susan L Roth I'm surprised that I can't find any.

Hard Hat Area is a walk through of how a skyscraper is built and many of the different jobs that go into such an undertaking. The book follows an ironworks apprentice as she goes through the day running errands and doing odd jobs across the site. This is how all apprentices learn the ropes before the begin to specialize.

In the end notes, the author includes biographical information about the real Kristen who inspired the book. I love that this book is a straight up construction book. It will appeal to any child interested in learning how things are built. The fact that the main character is a real woman working in construction is just icing on an otherwise delightful book.

The illustrations are done in a style similar to Eric Carle's. It has visual appeal especially for children who have been raised on Carle's books. At the same time though, there is enough detail shown that with the provided labels, children (and adults) can learn the terminology.

Five stars

Comments (0)