Children’s construction books are perfect for your little ones who are infatuated with bulldozers and tractors. Check out these awesome stories that will encourage your kids to build their own unique constructions!
Children’s construction books delight young readers!
Bulldozers, backhoes and loaders, oh my! No matter what gender your little ones are, chances are they are obsessed with construction sites and equipment.
From diggers to motor graders, kids love these larger-than-life vehicles. They make the best noises! They move things, push things and lift things! They are gigantic! The coolest part for kids, though, is that they can actually play with blocks and mini-sized versions of the construction equipment that captivates them when out and about in the neighborhood.
Construction books for kids offer opportunities for learning
The children’s construction books on our list offer great opportunities for discussion and give you a segue for important learning, too. Read these fantastic stories, then watch your kiddos mimic what they see in the books and on construction sites as they build great big towers with blocks. They will learn the basics of force and motion on their own!
Even cooler? Children can “build” the alphabet with rocks or other materials you may find on the construction site. Children’s construction books help young readers learn about shapes, teach math skills, and even encourage basic engineering for your little STEM lovers. They also spotlight important community helpers your kids will see all around town.
So what are you waiting for? Grab some of these stories, and then watch your future builders, contractors and architects let their imaginations run wild with the most basic of supplies. Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
Construction vehicles make the best noises! They are larger than life, moving, pushing and lifting really big things. the equipment itself is gigantic, making it mesmerizing to look at. And there is nothing more exciting than watching structures in your neighborhood rise from the ground on up. Construction is endlessly fascinating to children!
There are so many benefits to teaching kids about construction. Building structures stimulates creativity, teaches spatial relationships, and even gives young kids an introduction to physics! With children’s construction books, you can teach the alphabet, shapes, math skills, science, and more!
I love Brick by Brick, by Heidi Woodwart Sheffield, featured below. Papi is a bricklayer who builds the city brick by brick, while his son goes to school and learns book by book. The tender story about father and son dreaming big dreams about their future culminates with a perfect ending, when Papi shows his son something he built for his family, brick by brick.
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We love these children’s construction books!
I love this tender story about a boy and his bricklayer Papi! Papi is a bricklayer and works hard every day to build the city, brick by brick. Just like his dad, Luis also works hard every day, but instead of bricks, he is learning and his education flourishing, book by book. As father and son dream big dreams of their future, Papi one day surprises Luis with something he built, brick by brick, for his family. The ending will warm your heart! This is one of my all-time favorite children’s construction books!
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There are so many toddlers who are totally obsessed with construction sites, big tractors, and diggers galore. If you have one of these tractor-loving kiddos under your roof, grab this book quickly as it will become a new bedtime favorite. With engaging illustrations, pitch-perfect rhyme, and a storyline that gets little readers ready to turn off their engines and close their eyes for the night, this one is an absolute must!
Sometimes tenderness shows up in the most unexpected places, which is just one of the many reasons we love this sweet book about a digger that does all it can to protect a lone flower. Though this kindness book has important environmental themes, it also brilliantly conveys that a seemingly destructive piece of equipment can act with compassion to protect something smaller and more fragile than itself. Even the toughest among us have hearts of gold — and have no shame in displaying their tenderness!
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If your littles love nothing more than staring longingly at construction sites, they will be infatuated with this awesome book! Big machines dig and busy workers labor hard on the site. They dig, hammer, and hoist the ground away, then fill the holes with concrete and hoist the wood on top. Slip, slap thud! Sloosh, slosh, slop! This series is always a winner! We also adore Dig Dump Roll from this same series.
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Ready to watch a road come to life? Grab your hard hat and jump on into this delightful read! First, you’ll meet the crew, then you’ll explore many big trucks. Then, you’ll walk through the different steps necessary to create a road. From planning to grading, laying asphalt to painting lines, your kids will be riveted by this detailed book!
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Excavators, front loaders, motor graders, oh my! Everyone’s favorite childhood nursery rhyme, Old MacDonald had a Farm, gets a fresh twist in this adorable, sing-sing book. Here, the animals are driving construction equipment and working on a farm at Old MacDonald’s direction. The illustrations are lively and the book will have you and your child singing some new lyrics – such as “E-I-E-I-HOE!” – for hours on end.
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Have you ever wondered about all the steps involved in building houses in your neighborhood? Beginning with a big hole, then pouring cement and putting up walls, there are so many workers to ensure that our houses are built safely. From construction workers to engineers to electricians and plumbers, did you know how many people are involved in building a house? Through simple text and vibrant illustrations, young readers will delight in watching a home being built before their eyes! We love this children’s construction book!
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If you have a young truck lover at home, they will love watching these incredible vehicles build! The vehicles take turns getting everything ready for the building – digging the foundation, hauling the blocks, and lifting them up – and once the tower is built, it gets knocked right back down again! Children will delight in the surprise ending, giving rise to the question if this is a real construction site, or simply a child’s backyard. Looking for more books about blocks? Check out this list!
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Get ready to spend some time with a backhoe loader! This awesome construction vehicle loves its dirty job. The dirtier the better! We love the backhoe loader’s confidence, and kids will delight in the loader’s pride in all his parts. Cleaning up a mess? Easy as pie – a mud pie, that is. It’s no fun being clean when you can be dirty! Have fun getting your kiddos to take a bath after this one. Absolutely delightful!
If you could build a house, what would it look like? How would you design it? This is another one of our favorite children’s construction books, together with companions If I Built a School and If I Built a Car. It is cherished among my students and I can’t rave about it enough! Imagination sets sail as readers take a journey with one child who is eagerly designing his own house. If he built it just the way he wants, it will contain a racetrack, a flying room, and even a giant slide! Kiddos love this boy’s flights of fancy, and this book is sure to inspire them to design the home of their wildest dreams, too.
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RELATED: We’ve got a fabulous list of kindergarten read-alouds for you on Happily Ever Elephants, all of which make for great bedtime stories. Be sure to check them out!
Dad forgot his lunch! When one brother and sister set out to take him his food, they marvel at the exciting building going on around them. The builders are building, the breakers are breaking, and the coolest machines are working hard all around the construction site. We love the simple vocabulary, the detailed illustrations, and the joy that can be found in hard work.
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Your construction-obsessed kids will love this alphabet journey that takes place on a construction site. The crew is hard at work, and there are so many machines on the site that your little readers will love to explore. From yellow Bulldozers to shiny Cranes to the rusty Dump truck, your kids will love learning their ABCs with this great board book.
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The construction site is bustling with all of the vehicles hard at work! Different trucks are stirring and scooping and mixing. But where does Little Bulldozer fit in if he is too small to help? Luckily, he finally gets a task. But can he take care of a bundle of baby kittens? That may just be the hardest job there is!
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RELATED: Do you have big kids getting ready to read at your house? Don’t miss our fantastic list of the best early reader books!
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