A review by Emma Streeton
From acclaimed author-illustrator Oliver Jeffers comes the companion to the number 1 New York Times bestseller Here We Are! – What we’ll build.
What shall we build, you and I?
We’ll build a watch to keep our time.
I’ll build your future
and you’ll build mine.
Inspired by the birth of his daughter, What We’ll Build is a rhythmic and heart-warming father and daughter story from the beloved Oliver Jeffers. A father and daughter explore the endless possibilities and adventures that they enjoy as they build their lives together. Told in rhyming text with Oliver’s signature art, What We’ll Build is the perfect story to enjoy with the little people in your life.
Bookworms
I have enjoyed several books by Jeffers with my bookworms over the years. A new picture book by him is always some thing to get excited about. His unique style of writing and illustrating never fails to captivate readers, young or old. Jeffers’s stories have an elegant simplicity. Again he provides us with a charming tale, this time centered around the father/daughter relationship and the love, nurture and growth within.
Building a future together
When I read this with my two daughters, it encouraged us to think about all of the things we have achieved and experienced together so far. We talked about what adventures we hope we will experience together in the future.
What We’ll Build can be a great starting point for younger children to think about their hopes and dreams, as well as what ‘tools’ they will need to make these happen. It is also a stark reminder that our lives and the lives of our children are so intrinsically linked. We shape one another.
The verdict
What we’ll build is a beautiful story to cuddle up with and share. Everyone involved will get something out of the reading experience. Oliver Jeffers has done it again.
Read this if you enjoyed The Great Realisation.
Book details
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
ISBN: 9780593206751
Imprint: Philomel Books (Penguin Random House)
Format: hardcover, 48 pages
Released: 2020
Category: 4-8 years, poetry
