Roadwork is one of my son's favorite books to read right now. We have taken it out of the library several times at his request, and even had to bring it on vacation with us. (Miraculously, I even managed to not leave it behind.) It actually was a fun book to have on hand as we passed by countless construction trucks on the highways during our vacation, and even more so as we sat in the traffic they created. But really, I'm featuring this book today because it is one of the few times in my life that I can honestly say I have used the word onomatopoeia in a sentence. I think the last time was probably in my 6th grade English class. (I hope you're not offended, Mrs. Gianokis.) There are many cool things about Roadwork, but my son's favorite has to be the (wait for it...) onomatopoeia!, the fancy Greek grammatical term for words that sound like what they mean. "Plan the road. Plan the road. Mark in on the map. Hammer in the marking pegs. PING! BANG! TAP!" Or one of my son's favorite verses, "Load the dirt. Load the dirt. Scoop and swing and drop. Slam it down into the truck. BUMP! WHUMP! WHOP!" He has memorized all of these fun sound effects and looks forward to saying them as we turn each page. But aside from being colorful, lyrical, and extremely fun to read, Roadwork is also educational; it outlines the process of how a road is built from start to finish, from clearing away the earth to sealing the road and putting up the lights. If you have a truck lover in your house, this book is a must-read, but even if you don't, I encourage you to check it out. Any child will love saying the sounds along with you. While you're at it, tell them all those fun words have a name: onomatopoeia. That's one word they'll definitely have fun trying to say!
We have the hardcover version from our local library, but I also just saw that it is available as a board book, too. Excellent!
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