Sam and the Construction Site

PreS-Gr 2—Sam is told to guard the construction site but not to let anyone in. If anyone goes inside, he is to call the police. While Sam is on watch, two big kids try to go inside, but Sam offers an alternative—he'll go into the site if they call the police. The big kids agree, and despite their pleas for him not to, Sam plays on the equipment. He goes on the cement mixer, the steamroller, and the tall crane. High jinks ensue, and Sam ends up hoisting the police into the air with his crane and offering an explanation for his behavior: he had to foil a bank robbery! Sam's good deed is rewarded with his very own hard hat so he can go into the construction site whenever he wants. While the illustrations are quirky and have a vintage feel, the story itself is a little lacking. The twist ending, in which Sam stops robbers from getting away, comes out of left field as the illustrations do not hint that he has spotted these events taking place. The vocabulary is stilted and old-fashioned. Children who love construction equipment will not care about these elements as they will enjoy looking at the pictures; however, there are much better books featuring steamrollers, cranes, and cement mixers already out there.