What Can You Do with a Toolbox?

Carrino and Colaneri, HGTV personalities known as the Cousins, bring their design and construction know-how to a young audience in this sprightly introduction to the tools of their trade. In energetic watercolor pictures, Lam (My Little Sister and Me) shows the authors sharing the contents of a toolbox with a half-dozen curious kids and one frisky puppy. Emphasizing that "safety always come first," the cousins provide safety glasses, hard hats, work gloves, and boots before demonstrating what each tool can do. Their functions are explained, simply and clearly, as the adults, aided by the children, assemble objects high in kid appeal: a wrench turns bolts on a swing set, a shovel fills a sandbox, a tape measure determines the height of a slide, a level ensures that monkey bars are straight, and paintbrushes (in little hands) make colorful designs on walls. The antics of the dog, a cheerful yellow bird fond of riding on hard hats, and a mischievous squirrel supply additional visual diversion before the completed construction project--a bustling playground filled with happy kids--appears in a jubilant final spread. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)

PreS-K--HGTV stars Carrino and Colaneri make their picture book debut with this simple introduction to tools and construction. The story starts with the discovery of a red toolbox by two curious young girls, and the question, "What's that big red box?" Cartoon-versions of the authors show the two girls, joined by a steadily increasing number of kids, that it's what's inside a toolbox that makes it useful. Starting with safety glasses and moving through wrenches, screwdrivers, and saws, the two men demonstrate what each tool can do. Parents will appreciate the inclusion of safety practices. Larger tools like a shovel and a ladder show that not all tools fit in a toolbox. The demonstrations of each tool's use will give clues as to what is being built throughout the book. Young readers will guess long before they get to the ending but nonetheless will enjoy seeing the finished product. Soft watercolor and pencil drawings set the scene. The faces of the children, drawn with simple lines, are expressive and primarily display excitement. VERDICT While there is nothing new here, this is a solid selection for young construction fans.--Kimberly Tolson, Millis Public Library, MA