Books are one of the best ways to support your child’s cognition, language skills, creativity, and imagination. For parents in the construction industry, there are ample books available to teach their children about their work—you’ll find books on every topic related to construction, from project work to residential construction and heavy machinery and everything in between.
10 books to teach your kids about construction
1. Smelly Kelly and His Super Senses: How James Smelly Kelly Saved The New York Subway
Author: Beth Anderson
Reading age: Grades 2-5
James “Smelly” Kelly was an Irish immigrant in New York City with an extraordinary sense of smell. He could smell a circus elephant a mile away or tomorrow’s rain coming. He used that keen sense of smell and his natural engineering aptitude to help detect and prevent leaks in New York’s subway tunnels. He also was an inventor, a lifesaving hero, and more.
2. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site
Author: Sherri Duskey Rinker
Reading age: 2-3 years
As the sun sets on the big construction site, all the trucks get ready to say goodnight. One by one, Crane Truck, Cement Mixer, Dump Truck, Bulldozer, and Excavator wrap up their jobs and get ready to rest so they’ll be prepared for another day of rough and tough construction play! This board book is the perfect nighttime read for small hands. Even the toughest readers will want to turn off their engines, rest their wheels, and sleep with this book. A thrilling rhyming story and vibrant illustrations make this a sure-fire bedtime favorite.
3. Pete The Cat: Construction Destruction
Author: James Dean
Reading age: 2-6 years
Beloved children’s book character Pete The Cat sees a playground in bad shape and gets the idea to make a new one. Pete enlists the help of construction workers, cement mixers, backhoes, and dump trucks to help him create the coolest playground ever. This book is about construction, engineering, and dreaming great dreams.
4. A Year At A Construction Site
Author: Nicholas Harris
Reading age: 2-4 years
Spend a year or a day at a construction site with this book, and watch as the project progresses over its pages. Eight large-scale illustrations combined with simple text tell the story of how the school is built—and follow along as a clock or calendar shows time passing! It’s a fun way to show some of your youngest children how a structure is built over time. Plus, a “search and find” feature encourages readers to zoom in on the illustrations.
5. Diggy
Author: Calee M. Lee
Reading age: 1-3 years
This picture book is an excellent read for babies and toddlers alike. Its hero is a backhoe named Diggy, and the story has simple actions with one sentence per page. The plot teaches concepts like up, down, in, and out. If your little one loves dump trucks, diggers, and building fun, Diggy is the perfect book for them!
6. Backhoe Joe
Author: Lori Alexander
Reading age: 2-4 years
Nolan finds a stray backhoe in the street, but it’s not the nicest machine. Nolan tries to train his new pet truck but quickly learns that his backhoe might already have a home. Beware that this book might make toddlers obsessed with its contents, and if there’s a Joe in your family, the child might nickname him Backhoe Joe. This delightful picture book has a subtle message of responsibility, a funny ending, and more.
7. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
Author: Virginia Lee Burton
Reading age: Preschool-3 years
A classic since being published in 1939, this picture book speaks of weighty themes, including how modernization displaces and the importance of perseverance. Mike and his trusty steam shovel, Mary Anne, dig canals for boats to travel through, cut mountain passes for trains, and hollow out cellars for city skyscrapers. However, progression also comes with machine advances, and the hard-working duo is eventually out of work, but they have one last chance to prove themselves. This exciting story is about old-fashioned hard work and ingenuity and is a great read for all ages.
8. Concrete Mixers
Author: Carl Meister
Reading age: Preschool-grade 1
This book teaches early readers about the parts of a concrete mixer that help construction workers do their jobs. Full-color photos paired with leveled text engage young readers as they discover the unique features of concrete mixers.
9. On The Construction Site
Author: Carron Brown
Reading age: 2-5 years
Shine a flashlight on this fun book’s pages, and it reveals all the details and actions of a construction site in progress. From bulldozers in action to engineers at work, this fun and unique book will teach your child how a project progresses.
10. Motor Goose: Rhymes That Go!
Author: Rebecca Colby
Reading age: 1-5 years
This picture book is a collection of nursery rhymes with vehicular themes, like “Tow, Tow, Tow the Car” and “Twinkle, Twinkle, UFO.” It’s the perfect collection for every boat/train/crane/care/plane-loving child. As the rhymes progress, the day winds down—it’s the perfect bedtime book to wind a little mind down.
