{Review} LET'S GO TO THE HARDWARE STORE by Anne Rockwell with illustrations by Melissa Iwai

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O P E N I N G   L I N E:


WHEN WE MOVED INTO
our bigger house,
everything needed fixing.
That's what Mommy said.  

(pgs. 1-2, US Hardcover Edition)


LET'S GO TO THE HARDWARE STORE would have been my brother's FAVORITE BOOK IN THE ENTIRE WORLD when he was little. The boy was OBSESSED WITH TOOLS!!! He always wanted to help out Daddy and had his own little toolset and everything. My brother now has a son who is turning one next month, and for Christmas, he was already getting his own baby tools because we knew he'd love them as much as his daddy! When I heard about this book, I HAD to grab it so that I could introduce it to my nephew.

What struck me the most was the cover--There is both a boy AND a girl on the cover, and they are both having fun!!!! Y'all, tools aren't just for boys. There aren't enough books that feature girls who love inventing. I LOVE that there is a toy line called GoldieBlox (That began on Kickstarter, no less!) that you can find nationwide at Toys R Us, Barnes & Noble, etc.

They even put together this great invention commercial, where three little girls build a whole lot of awesome together:


The book itself is from the little boy's POV, but he and his sister are on every page having fun together and helping Daddy pick out tools. Plus, they even get to buy a birdhouse kit that they can put together themselves!

I LOVE that Daddy is taking the kids to the store with him and having a Daddy and Me day. I love that he's fostering a love of tools in his kids so young and not only sharing that love with his son. Mommy stays home because there is an infant child (And there's even a scene where she's breastfeeding, which is pretty awesome!). The family is also interracial, so points there, too!

One thing I really enjoyed was the way the pages would portray images of the tools being talked about, such as:



If a kid is having trouble visualizing various tools (Such as types of hammers and screws!), they're pictured. If a kid is obsessed with tools and wants to know about types of hammers (Framing, tack, sledge, ball-peen, mallet, claw...), they're pictured and will help give that child the vocabulary and imagery they crave.

This book is also fun for kids moving to new houses, because it's about a family that moves, and all the cool things they get to do to make the new home THEIRS!!!!

I really love this book for both genders, and think it's a great story about a family going through a typical day!  It has so many awesome themes and should definitely be a storytime title at schools and libraries to expose more kids to this awesome concept!


(How can you help spread the word? 
Ask your local libraries and schools to order a copy to share with young readers!) 

O F F I C I A L   I N F O:


Title:  LET'S GO TO THE HARDWARE STORE
Author: Anne Rockwell
Illustrator: Melissa Iwai
Release Date: March 22, 2016
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) / Macmillan
Received: For Review
SUMMARY:

When the new house needs fixing up, it's off to the hardware store to find the tools and materials needed to get the job done—a hammer, a screwdriver, a shiny tape measure, and even a stepladder.

This family outing explores a familiar errand that fascinates plenty of young children: the hardware store. Anne Rockwell's perfectly pitched story and Melissa Iwai's child-friendly illustrations make this book ideal for the preschool audience.


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