An important part of being an Engineer is understanding the tools used to build your designs. One kind of  engineering, Construction Engineering, involves the designing and construction of roads, buildings, sewer systems, and other infrastructure. To plan a project correctly, Construction Engineers must know the different types of trucks and machines that will be used on a construction site. Since my middle son started to show interest in construction trucks, I thought it was a great opportunity to introduce him to the tools used in construction engineering! So during our trip to the library, I decided to look for some books that would introduce him to different types of construction vehicles. I was pretty happy and surprised with the great books we were able to find! Though he did a few favorites, he absolutely loved each one of the books!

7 Great Construction Engineering Books for Preschoolers!

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Book 1:  B Is for Bulldozer: A Construction ABC: This was the first book my son picked up! It was perfect for starting a reading session, and my son enjoyed flipping through the pages as we read. Each page provided the name of a tool, truck, or material used in construction, and also taught the alphabet. What I really loved about it is that it walked through the different items used in a construction project, and at the end you got to see what was being built! My favorite part of Project Engineering was always watching as all the pieces come together to create a final product. I love that the book shows children that all the trucks, tools, and materials come together to build something really fun!

Book 2:  One Big Building: A Counting Book about Construction: You know I loved this one! The book teaches kids numbers through displaying the number on the page, then having a corresponding number of construction items on the page. I’m working on number recognition with my 3 year old, and this book is great for helping him develop this skill. For each page, I  pointed to the number (ie 1, 2 3, etc) and then asked “What number is this?”. If he didn’t know, I would tell him, then count the construction items on the page. Then I asked again “What number is this?”. He didn’t always remember, but improved each time we read. I don’t want my son to realize we’re working on number recognition, but instead just enjoy reading time with mom. Along the way my son also became familiar with wheelbarrows, stories on a building, and other construction equipment used to create a building.

Book 3:  C is for Construction: Big Trucks and Diggers from A to Z (Caterpillar): Our absolute favorite book! We spent a long time reading this book, and talking about the different kinds of trucks and their jobs. Each letter of the alphabet had a great, life-like picture of a construction truck. I even learned a few new pieces of equipment! I plan on buying this one for our own library, and bringing to work to show my preschoolers!

Book 4: Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site: A long time bedtime favorite in our house. I remember reading Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site to my oldest son when he was just a toddler. It was the only book he would sit down long enough to read the whole way through. Now he reads it to both his brothers, and all three enjoy a rare, calm moment together. My middle son loves getting this book out when brother is at school and talking about the trucks with me. His favorite is the cement mixer, and every time we drive past one he points it out to me!

Book 5: Mighty, Mighty Construction Site: By the creators of “Goodnight, goodnight Construction Site”, this book has the same trucks kids already love from the first book, but adds new trucks as well. What I love about this book is that it teaches kids how trucks work together to “get the job done”. For example, the cement mixer and pump truck work together to pump cement into hard to reach places. A couple of days after reading  Mighty, Mighty Construction Site, we drove by construction in our neighborhood. A cement mixer and pump truck were working together to pour foundation for a new house. I pointed it out to my son, and he shouted “Just like my book!”

Book 6: The Construction Alphabet Book: Another fantastic alphabet book that introduces kids to construction tools and trucks. Each page has a the letter of the alphabet and a large drawing of construction equipment that starts with the specific letter. Each drawing has great detail, which will help kids identify the trucks when they see them. The drawings also show the truck in action, which helped my son better understand what the truck did. For example, the picture of a Road Cutter shows the blade cutting into a road. When my oldest and husband are building together, my husband always emphasizes that having the right tool for the job makes it safer, easier, and faster to complete the job. Because the drawings in The Construction Alphabet Book show how the tools and trucks are used, kids will know when to use each truck, a skill necessary in construction engineering!

Book 7: Dalmatian in a Digger: What a perfect book to introduce budding engineers to construction engineering! Not only does it introduce kids to construction trucks, but it does so using their favorite animals running the construction trucks. My son loved seeing a puppy, camel, and other animals working the trucks. He also loved copying all the fun noises the trucks made. But the part we spent the most time on was the front and back cover. It has pictures of different animals riding construction trucks. After we read the book we spent time counting and naming all the different animals and trucks. A great way to incorporate a little math with our reading!

What do you think of our list? Though we found all of these at our local library, I plan to add a few of them to our book collection at home. Each one of them has ways for kids to learn about Construction Engineering at any age. Which one will you add to your collection?

Find more ways to teach kids about being an Engineer! Check out my other posts!

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Teach Your Kid about Biomechanical Engineering
Teach your kid to be a Materials Engineer!
Teach your kid to be a Project Engineer!
Teach Your Kid to be a Reliability Engineer!
Teach Your Kid to be a Mechanical Engineer!
Be a Process Engineer: Play “How’s it made?”