Thonk! Clonk! Clap! The team behind Roadworks and Demolition returns to the building site with another winner for pre-school fans of machines and building sites!

Another rhythmic read-aloud for machine and building site enthusiasts from the team behind Roadworks and Demolition. Describing all the heaving and hammering involved in building a new library, this book is full of action-packed illustrations and irresistible sound words – Hoist the wood. Hoist the wood. Chain and hook and strap. Swing it round, then lower it down. Thonk! Clonk! Clap! It will have kids clamouring to join in, and includes a pictorial glossary of all the machines in the book, too.

Creators

Sally Sutton has a keen interest in European languages. She has an M.A. (Hons) in German, and also enjoys writing plays for the stage. Her first picture book for Walker Books Australia, Roadworks, won the Picture Book category of the 2009 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards, and was followed by Demolition and Farmer John’s Tractor. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand, with her husband and two daughters.

Brian Lovelock is a scientist working in the power industry in New Zealand. He has painted all his life but has only recently ventured into the world of book illustration. His previous titles with Walker Books Australia include Your Mother Didn’t Do That! and Roadworks which won the Picture Book category in the 2009 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children & Young Adults. In 2013, Brian was long-listed for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Award for his work on Demolition. In 2014, Flight of the Honey Bee won the LIANZA Russell Clark Illustration Award, was a Storylines Notable Book and was a finalist for the LIANZA Elsie Locke Non-Fiction Award and the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards.

Reviews

This is a fun book with melodic verse, colorful images, and onomatopoeia which will have children jumping out of their seats.

Library Media Connection

This is a very desirable companion to the other books in the series, Roadworks and Demolition. Highly recommended.

The School Librarian

Construction is the type of book that can easily become a child’s favourite.

The Book Bag

Awards

New Zealand Book Awards, Picture Book Award (2015) - Short-listed
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