Brick by Brick by Heidi Woodward Sheffield

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Reviewed by: Brick by Brick by Heidi Woodward Sheffield Elizabeth Bush Sheffield, Heidi Woodward Brick by Brick; written and illus. by Heidi Woodward Sheffield. Paulsen/Penguin, 2020 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-525-51730-6 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-525-51731-3 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R 3-7 yrs Luis couldn’t be more proud of his bricklayer father, who “helps build the city, brick by brick”—skillful, patient, unafraid of heights. He cooks a great breakfast on Saturdays, too. The one thing that disturbs Luis is that, despite his father’s talent, they do not have their own brick house, “with a garden for Mama and maybe a dog for me.” Dad has this covered, too, as Luis learns one Saturday when Papi has him hide his eyes with a big yellow hard hat and drives him off for “una sorpresa.” Mama is there to greet them, unloading boxes in front of “a new house made of Papi’s bricks.” This simple dream come true is richly illustrated with paint and collage, incorporating snippets of brick photographs that feature in both the cityscapes and Luis’s cozy new abode. Parallel scenes of Luis’ school day and Papi’s work day subtly mark the passage of time in which, the audience comes to realize, Papi’s goal of a “casa para siempre” has been unfolding alongside Luis’. This could make a fine companion piece to Tate’s Home Base: A Mother-Daughter Story (BCCB 3/20). [End Page 408] Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois