Things I like about this machine book:+ detailed back matter summarizing the machines discussed in the book+ beautiful/realistic spreads done in paint+ cool big fold out flapsThings that weren't that hot:+ the text. I was confused at what age level the text was trying to capture. The onomatopoeia and the questions did fit well. So this works as a pretty book about machines that an adult can just talk through with a pre-readers or have them tell you a story.

Knowing that all boys love big trucks and other equipement and that there are far too few books on the subject, I grabbed this book when I saw it. The book covers six major pieces of equipment frequently seen in major cities. The realistic illustrations by the author William Low are crisp, colorful and appealing. For each piece of equipment, Low gives a short one sentence description followed by a question about it and then the answer. I really did not like this question format because the quest...

Title: Machines Go to Work in the CityAuthor: William LowIllustrator: William LowGenre: Moveable book (lift the flaps), Picture books, NonfictionThemes: Transport, Machines, JobsOpening line/Sentence: Vroooom!Here comes the garbage truck, making its run!Brief book summary: Every other page in the book introduces a new type of vehicle or machine. These pages describe an action the machine is doing. The next page then asks a question about the machine or workers operating the machine. You can lift...

This is an inventive look at machines, combining it with large flaps to open and questions to engage. Low looks at one machine after another that works in the city and then asks a question about it. The questions are not simple either, this is not a book that talks down to its young audience. Instead you have to think a bit. Do the garbage men go home after picking up the garbage? Can the crane operator still work when the building grows taller than the crane? Is the airplane ready to leave when...

This engaging picture book has so much information that it is classified as non-fiction. It is arranged in such a way that it seamlessly connects machines as diverse as a garbage truck and an airplane. Machines featured include a garbage truck, a commuter train, a walkie-talkie, a vacuum truck, a traffic light, a crane truck, a baggage carrier, and an airplane. Following the story, which includes lift up and lift out pages, there is descriptive information about each machine. Due to the last imp...

William Low shows how machines and the people who use them work in the city. He answers questions about who will fix this or that. Readers learn a lot about transportation without a lot of text in this interesting and informative book.

"VROOM! Here comes the garbage truck, making its run!(TURN THE PAGE)When the truck makes its last pickup, are the garbage collectors done for the day?(OPEN A HIDDEN FLAP)No, they must go to the landfill to empty the trash."With beautiful detailed illustrations fo particular machines, Low reaches out to the reader – informing, then asking a question, and then giving an unexpected answer.Low doesn’t shy away from domain specific vocabulary for our young listeners – train yard, engineer, brakes, gi...

I am deeply appreciative of these books by William Low. My toddler only wants to read about machines and so many of these kids books about trains and trucks are indescribably boring, and half assed. Put together with no more thought than grabbing the attention of a passing vehicle fanatic. These two machines books by Low are totally different: they are interactive, with beautiful illustrations, and help your toddler think about how machines fit into the human activity in cities and towns. I ador...

Machines Go to Work in the City by William Low features a number of machines in the city along with questions and flaps that reveal added twists and details.Low's detailed illustrations are engaging. The flaps, some of which open in different directions, literally extend the story and show the answers to the questions posed. A street sweeper, garbage truck, commuter train, vacuum truck, traffic light, bucket truck, tower crane, baggage carrier, and jet airplane are featured. The final double fla...

This was a good choice for a one-artist picturebook. Too often it's the writing that is difficult to pull off, so a concept book doesn't really demand the control of a narrative or poem. We get to focus on Low's representational art instead of worrying about whether he can pull off the text. Low has one of those painting styles that looks hyper-realistic from medium distance, but is really highly impressionistic and painterly up close. I liked looking at the cityscape backgrounds to see the text...

Book 39 Bibliographic Citation:Low, W. (2012). Machines go to work in the city. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.Age/Grade Level: (Ages 3–8, Grades PS–3)Summary:Tour a city and see many of the machines, along with their operators, who keep things humming all day long. Awards/Reviewing Sources:Booklist starred (July 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 21))Horn Book starred (Spring 2013)Kirkus Reviews (April 15, 2012)School Library Journal (June 1, 2012)Curriculum Content/Standard for 21st Century Learner:Thi...

I grabbed one of our library’s copies to look at this today and the textures and saturated colors are just gorgeous. I love that we see a variety of skin tones and gender parity in the humans pictured. While I think it’s cool that the flaps don’t all open the same way, that they open in the direction that makes sense for the illustration, I see practically this is a problem as our copy (which was acquired in August) is already ripped badly on the tunnel flap in such a way that it seems clear to

I picked this one up because of the theme of "big machines." I have so many students who just love books about big trucks and other machines. The book does a good job of illustrating how these machines help the city. It is a more urban setting than my students can appreciate, but they need the exposure of more "big city." I had a problem with the layout of the book. The pages unfold, and the cover even mentions the unfolding pages just right for small hands. Well, no, that just isn't true. Small...

This beautifully designed picture book is a sequel to Low’s Machines Go to Work. Once again he matches each vehicle with an identifying sound. Trucks and cranes, trains and planes, accompanied by the people who drive them, help to keep the city working. Low’s simple straightforward text includes a question, focusing attention on each machine. Interestingly, the answer is always “No.” However, it is followed by a short explanation. The associated foldout page further enlarges the view. Morning

Disappointing. The illustrations are terrific! The only problem with them is the foldout pages which will wear quickly. The questions that are featured on each page are awful. They are not ones that the average child could try to answer except when they realize that each one is answered, "no." There is valuable information in the end of the book that could have been better placed on the main pages. Also, some of the "machines" that are featured at the end are not on the main pages and vice versa...

Such a cool book! My 2 year-old son (and I) loved learning about the different functions of the trucks. The illustrations are detailed and stylized and the use of the flaps is creative. The flaps open up, down, and right. Sometimes the flaps are a bit unwieldy, so I was always weary of my son ripping the pages. The last flap opens up into a large square 4 times the size of one page. Unwieldy? Indeed, but if you look closely, you will find each of the trucks from the rest of the book hidden in th...

This is one of those books that libraries can't own enough copies of. Within the first few circulations, they look well-loved. (This library copy of a 2012 book is already torn in several places and missing a page.) If you've ever walked past a construction site with a two-year-old, you know how fascinating everything from a garbage truck to a building crane can be. And, this book adds to the reality of the experience with foldout pages that show how that giant hose goes down under the street. E...

This was obviously a well-loved book (from the number of taped pages) that we picked up after DiscoveryTime at one of the branch libraries. My son is fascinated by this book, might have to pick it up for him. It talks about all the cities that work in the city and even gives little info bits on each vehicle in the back end pages. The kids learn about trash trucks, bucket trucks (which my son automatically names telehandlers - thank you "Dinosaurs Dig!"), tower cranes, commuter trains, airplanes,...

Knowing that all boys love big trucks and other equipement and that there are far too few books on the subject, I grabbed this book when I saw it. The book covers six major pieces of equipment frequently seen in major cities. The realistic illustrations by the author William Low are crisp, colorful and appealing. For each piece of equipment, Low gives a short one sentence description followed by a question about it and then the answer.

GREAT book! Each page introduces a new machine (i.e. garbage truck, train, vacuum truck, cars and trucks, tower crane, baggage carrier, airplane) with a fold out illustration. Artwork consists of full page paintings and are exciting both in their execution as well as the machines featured. F2ollowing the story are labeled diagrams describing how each machine works and all of its parts. Great read aloud!