Children's Books discussion

We're especially looking for excellent books about the process of construction for a five-year old, but any that really show what's going on would be good.

Not so much the "busy machines' genre, but the actual 'how-to' in a more educational sense.

Here's the query that inspired this thread: [We'd like] "a good book for a preschooler interested in building things and seeing how things are built... He's almost five and has a great interest in engineering and building."

Introductory works to Leonarda da Vinci might be good. There's one I recently read from our library with a focus on the horse. Also, there's the library book Pippo the Fool.

For slightly older children, a book you might not be able to find at the library but which would be worth the investment if his interest holds, is The Art of Construction: Projects and Principles for Beginning Engineers Architects. Not cutesy, but not too difficult either if the family has time & energy to support his explorations.

There are some amazing early books by Anne F. Rockwell:

Filippo's Dome
Glass, Stones & Crown: The Abbe Suger and the Building of St. Denis
Temple on a Hill: The Building of the Parthenon

If you know Rockwell, these are nothing like her later picture books. They are probably too advanced for a five year old, though.

Elizabeth Mann has an extensive series on various historic structures. They are wonderfully illustrated.

Of course, David Macaulay is a huge name in this area. And in addition to his famous series, he actually has done books for the younger crowd, such as Castle: How It Works. However, I think that's the only one about a building. The others are "Eye" and "Toilet"....

BTW, there is already a goodreads list that would be a good starting point for this discussion:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/37322.Architecture_Books_for_Children#98788

Ditto on the Macaulay books. They are all wonderful!

Here are 3 about building roads:
Engineer It! Road Projects by Carolyn Bernhardt
(in fact, there is a whole series of "Engineer It" books by this author with various projects from dams to bridges and more)
The Road That Trucks Built by Susanna Leonard Hill
Roadwork by Sally Sutton

Construction by Sally Sutton
about building a library
Demolition by Sally Sutton
unbuilding a building

Cheryl wrote: "We're especially looking for excellent books about the process of construction for a five-year old, but any that really show what's going on would be good.

Not so much the "busy machines' genre, b..."

Thank you so much for posting this thread, Cheryl! (And to those already posting recommendations!) I look forward to seeing the recommendations roll in and sharing more books with my eager son! :-)