Written by Michael J. Rosen
Illustrated by Ellen Kelson and Jennifer Cecil
Building a playground KaBOOM!-style can also be a community-building event and this book proves it. From group-design to finished product, the process is revealed as it’s described from the perspective of a kindergartner. Details and measurements are transposed into a five-year-old’s body dimensions and the high-interest construction equipment and processes are explained in equally friendly terms. Whimsical free-verse is used throughout and showcases the creative thinking that planning a playground can inspire. The final assembly of this real-life one-day event includes 214 participants and ends with a custom play structure.
Close-in, gorgeous color photographs, often full-page, catch all the action. Bright backgrounds add to the eye-appeal. This could inspire some creative play, but mostly it will be a great read aloud for kindergartner, first and second graders who may be planning their own playground. Slightly older children will enjoy learning about the construction process as well.
Click here for more stories about other playgrounds and information about KaBOOM! , a nonprofit organization committed to building playgrounds for every kid: http://kaboom.org
Title: Let’s Build a Playground- Author: Michael J. Rosen
- Illustrator: photographs by Ellen Kelson and Jennifer Cecil
- Publisher: Candlewick Press
- Reviewer: Carol S. Surges
- Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
- ISBN: 978-0-7636-5532-7
- Genre: Nonfiction
- Lexile Score: AD1130