Brick by Brick
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Winner of the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award!
A striking debut celebrating the warm bond between a little boy and his dad as they work hard to achieve their dreams
Papi is a bricklayer, and he works hard every day to help build the city, brick by brick. His son, Luis, works hard too--in school, book by book. Papi climbs scaffolds, makes mortar, and shovels sand. Luis climbs on the playground and molds clay into tiny bricks to make buildings, just like Papi. Together, they dream big about their future as they work to make those dreams come true. And then one Saturday, Papi surprises Luis with something special he's built for their family, brick by brick.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Luis, a Spanish-speaking boy, admires the work his father does (Papi "helps build the city, brick by brick") and lists the ways the two are alike. On the left, Papi stands on scaffolding, reaching above his head to place bricks: "Papi is not afraid of heights." On the right, Luis stands atop a schoolyard climbing structure: "Me neither./ At recess, I touch the sky, too." They both create: Papi makes mortar, Luis works with clay. The writing is sprinkled with plenty of onomatopoeia and sensory words ("I roll my clay,/ SLAP and PAT"). Sheffield shows the duo enjoying the same lunch, eating "Mama's special empanada" and drinking "cinnamon horchata." The boy longs for "Nuestra casa para siempre our always house," and both have faith that it will come ("Someday," Papi says). Crisp-edged collages by Sheffield (Are Your Stars Like My Stars?) are composed partly of photographed bricks a note explains that even Papi and Luis are made up of areas of brick images. Sheffield underscores the way children model themselves on the important adults in their lives in this loving, familial portrait of a strong father whose labor is honored. Ages 3 7.
