Brick by Brick

Luis, a Spanish-speaking boy, admires the work his father does (Papi "helps build the city, brick by brick") and lists the ways the two are alike. On the left, Papi stands on scaffolding, reaching above his head to place bricks: "Papi is not afraid of heights." On the right, Luis stands atop a schoolyard climbing structure: "Me neither./ At recess, I touch the sky, too." They both create: Papi makes mortar, Luis works with clay. The writing is sprinkled with plenty of onomatopoeia and sensory words ("I roll my clay, / SLAP and PAT"). Sheffield shows the duo enjoying the same lunch, eating "Mama's special empanada" and drinking "cinnamon horchata." The boy longs for "Nuestra casa para siempre-- our always house," and both have faith that it will come ("Someday," Papi says). Crisp-edged collages by Sheffield (Are Your Stars Like My Stars?) are composed partly of photographed bricks--a note explains that even Papi and Luis are made up of areas of brick images. Sheffield underscores the way children model themselves on the important adults in their lives in this loving, familial portrait of a strong father whose labor is honored. Ages 3-7. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary. (May)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 1-3--"Mi papi es fuerte--my papi is strong. He's a bricklayer. His arms are like stone." The young narrator describing his father's work is not named in the text, but printed on one of his drawings is the name Luis. While discussing the stages of bricklaying, Luis explains parallels between his father's work and his own. "Papi's work is brick by brick. Mine is book by book." Though he appears to be quite young, Luis attends school, reads, and molds bricks to build a small house. He also describes a special dream. "I dream of a house for us. Nuestra casa para siempre--our always house." Predictably, father's bricks build that house. Bricks are the key element here; Sheffield also uses photographs of them in her collage illustrations. They add texture and a touch of realism in Papi's work and in views of the city buildings and the new house. The effect is a bit odd when she uses them to create the mottled brown/red skin of Luis and Papi. At times they have quite rosy cheeks, but often they appear to have irregular splotched complexions. The text is lively and peppered with Spanish words and phrases. VERDICT This story has a pleasant father/son relationship, and the pictures and explanations of bricklaying will likely interest children.--Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

* "Papi is a bricklayer, building a city, brick by brick, while his proud son Luis builds too, book by book. Juxtaposed in side-by-side pages, Luis shows how he can climb at recess to touch the sky, just as Papi climbs the scaffold. . . . Spanish words both in the text and cleverly inserted into the backgrounds convey the family's Latinx culture, as do Luis and his father's lunches of empanadas and horchata. Illustrations done in warm tones use photographs, digital painting, and collage to show the close relationship between father and son as they work and play together to build happiness. Adults and children alike will appreciate the exquisite details and clever mirroring in the story, and celebrate the characters' joyful work ethic and fulfilment of their dreams."—Booklist, starred review

"Young Luis cherishes and admires his strong papi, who is a bricklayer. . . . Mirrorlike images show both brown-skinned father and son with similar lunchboxes, both eating Mama's special empanadas. . . . [Sheffield] excels with boisterously textured, mixed-media illustrations, many incorporating photographs, digital painting, and collage, capturing vibrant colors. Told in the first person, with minor Spanish interspersed and occasional sound effects printed in all-caps, the written text will engage the youngest readers. . . . Lovely and heartfelt."—Kirkus Reviews

"Luis, a Spanish-speaking boy, admires the work his father does and lists the ways the two are alike. . . . The writing is sprinkled with plenty of onomatopoeia and sensory words. . . . Crisp-edged collages by Sheffield (Are Your Stars Like My Stars?) are composed partly of photographed bricks—a note explains that even Papi and Luis are made up of areas of brick images. Sheffield underscores the way children model themselves on the important adults in their lives in this loving, familial portrait of a strong father whose labor is honored."—Publishers Weekly

"The text is lively and peppered with Spanish words and phrases. This story has a pleasant father/son relationship, and the pictures and explanations of bricklaying will likely interest children."—School Library Journal


Luis couldn't be more proud of his bricklayer father, who "helps build the city, brick by brick"—skillful, patient, unafraid of heights. He cooks a great breakfast on Saturdays, too. . . . Richly illustrated with paint and collage, incorporating snippets of brick photographs that feature in both the cityscapes and Luis's cozy new abode. Parallel scenes of Luis' school day and Papi's work day subtly mark the passage of time. . . . This could make a fine companion piece to Tate's Home Base: A Mother-Daughter Story .—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books