Building Books by Megan Wagner Lloyd
Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers on October 2nd 2018
ISBN: 1524773670
Pages: 32
Goodreads

Owen and Katie are siblings who are very different.  Katie does not enjoy reading but absolutely loves to build things.  Her brother loved nothing more than reading books.  They just don’t understand each other and argue over which is the best — building or reading. One day  a librarian steps in to see if she can help them see their worlds a bit differently.  Katie is supposed to read books, while Owen is ask to shelve books.  Both of them are displeased and ignore the librarian’s request.  However, through a twist of fate, while Katie is building with a pile of books, she discovers a book called Castle Engineering.  Immediately intrigued with this book, she begins to read.  Meanwhile, Owen begins building with the large stack of books and realizes he enjoys creating something new.  Both now agree that reading and building are both great things to do and settle into a big library chair and read, together.   The illustrations were created using ink and gouache, and finished digitally. The detailed illustrations are colorful and playful set off against plenty of white space.  The text is well-paced and offers a valid lesson of being open to new things and keeping an open mind.

Reviewed by Terri Bauld, Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library, Kennebunkport, ME