LibGuides: LEGO® Buddies: Book Lists to Inspire Young Builders

Book Lists to Inspire Young Builders

LEGO Budggies
SH image 1 - book lists to inspire young readers

Click the title links to see these books in the catalog for Alamance County Public Libraries!

Select “place hold” and enter your library card information to request the books for pickup.

Boxitects by Kim Smith
Catalog Summary: “Meg goes to Maker School to hone her talent for building with boxes, but when Simone arrives they become so competitive they nearly fail the Maker Match.”
Cleonardo, the Little Inventor by Mary GrandPré
Catalog Summary: "This imaginative story of a father and his daughter brings the magic of creativity to little inventors everywhere."
Ideas Are All Around by Philip Christian Stead
Catalog Summary: “In search of writing ideas, an author takes a walk with his dog around the neighborhood and ideas abound.”
Imagine That by Jonathan D. Voss
Catalog Summary: “Hoot and Olive return in this beautiful picture book about imagination, rainy day adventures, and the spirit of friendship.”
Izzy Gizmo by Pip Jones
Catalog Summary: "Izzy Gizmo loves to invent but gets frustrated when her inventions fail to work properly, so when she finds a crow with a broken wing her grandfather urges her to persist until she finds a way to help."
Little Worlds by Géraldine Collet
Catalog Summary: “Little Worlds shows a diverse group of children in their own self-constructed little worlds as they explore and play freely, develop their identity, and learn to understand others.”
The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
Catalog Summary: "A little girl and her canine assistant set out to make the most magnificent thing. But after much hard work, the end result is not what the girl had in mind. A charming story that will give kids the most magnificent thing: perspective!"
Ocean Meets Sky by Terry Fan
Catalog Summary: "A boy builds a ship to honor his late grandfather and sets sail for the magical place where ocean meets sky from his grandfather's stories."
Papa’s Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming
Catalog Summary: “With a lot of persistence, Papa--who is based on the real-life inventor Lodner Phillips--creates a submarine to take his family to the bottom of Lake Michigan.”
This is Sadie by Sara O’Leary
Catalog Summary: "Sadie is a small girl with a big imagination. She likes to make and do and be lots of different things. Maybe you're a bit like her?"
Wallpaper by Thao Lam
Catalog Summary: “A wordless picture book about an imaginary world behind the walls that helps a girl overcome her shyness.”
The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski
Catalog Summary: “Her magical book of stories is wordless until a whisper in the wind tells a little girl to imagine a story for each page.”
A World of Your Own by Laura Forbes Carlin
Catalog Summary: “Encourages readers to use their imaginations as the author re-imagines her world.”

LEGO buddies
SH image

Click the title links to see these books in the catalog for Alamance County Public Libraries!

Select “place hold” and enter your library card information to request the books for pickup.

Awesome Heroes by Rosie Peet
Catalog Summary: “Meet the brave heroes of Apocalypseburg. Learn how they fight the giant DUPLO(R) aliens. Discover what happens when they blast off to explore the Systar System.”
Fort Builders: The Birthday Castle by Dee Romito
Catalog Summary: “A group of friends use teamwork, creativity, and construction know-how to start their own fort building company. Can they learn to work together in time to build an incredible fort, or will their business be over before it even begins?”
Frank Einstein & the Antimatter Motor by Jon Scieszka
Catalog Summary: “Frank is a genius inventor. When lightning sparks his robots, Klink and Klank, into life, he’s got built-in lab partners. Until Frank’s enemy steals them.”
Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet by Megan Frazer Blakemore
Catalog Summary: "Frankie Sparks, the self-proclaimed "best inventor in the third grade," does research and creates a tool to try to persuade her classmates that a rat would make the best class pet."
My Explosive Diary by Emily Gale
Catalog Summary: "Meet Eliza Boom--assistant inventor, junior spy, and full-on fantastic--as she tells all in this first book of a chapter book series packed with jokes, doodles, and dear-diary secrets."
Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray by Jess Keating
Catalog Summary: “When Nikki’s death ray is stolen from a locked safe, she and her classmates must find it and hopefully, save the world using their STEM skills.”
Project Droid: Science No Fair! by Nancy Krulik
Catalog Summary: “Imagine going to school with your so-called cousin Java who is really a robot in disguise. That’s Logan’s life. But his inventor mother insists Logan keep Java’s secret.”
Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters by Andrea Beaty
Catalog Summary: “Rosie Revere is no stranger to fails, kerfuffles, and catastrophes. After all, engineering is all about perseverance! But this time, Rosie has an important project to tackle--one that feels much bigger than herself.”
Star Jumper: Journal of a Cardboard Genius by Frank Asch
Catalog Summary: "Determined to get away from his annoying little brother, Alex attempts to put together a spaceship that will put light-years between the two of them."
Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows
Catalog Summary: "Zoey and her cat, Sassafras, use science experiments to help a dragon with a problem."

LEGO buddies
image 3 - book lists to inspire young builders

Click the title links to see these books in the catalog for Alamance County Public Libraries!

Select “place hold” and enter your library card information to request the books for pickup.

Animal Architects by Daniel Nassar
Catalog Summary: “Look inside chimpanzee nests, beaver dams, termite mounds, stork nests and many more - and get to know the clever animals who build them.”
Dream Builders: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon by Kelly Lyons
Catalog Summary: “A biography of Philip Freelon, whose rich family history and deep understanding of Black culture brought him to the role of lead architect for the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.”
The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: the story of Dr. Temple Grandin by Julia Finley Mosca
Catalog Summary: "When young Temple was diagnosed with autism, no one expected her to talk, let alone become one of the most powerful voices in modern science. Yet, the determined visual thinker did just that. Her unique mind allowed her to connect with animals in a special way, helping her invent groundbreaking improvements for farms around the globe!"
Immigrant Architect: Rafael Guastavino and the American dream by Berta de Miguel
Catalog Summary: “The life of the architect who, together with his son of the same name, built the tiled vaults and domes of many famous buildings throughout the United States in the nineteenth century.”
The Inventors of LEGO Toys by Erin Hagar
Catalog Summary: “The story of the family that created LEGO® is finally told for kids who play with these popular bricks.”
Julia Morgan Built a Castle by Celeste Davidson Mannis
Catalog Summary: "Covers the life of a spirited pioneer--one of America's first, and most prolific, female architects. Julia Morgan is most notable for her design of Hearst Castle in California."
Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing by Kay Haring
Catalog Summary: “Traces the life of artist Keith Haring, from his childhood love of drawing to his meteoric rise to fame, with a focus on his concern for children, humanity, and disregard for the established art world.”
Modern Houses: Who Built That?: an introduction to modern houses and their architects by Didier Cornille
Catalog Summary: “Takes readers on a tour through ten of the most important houses by the greatest architects of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.”
Prairie Boy: Frank Lloyd Wright Turns the Heartland into a Home by Barb Rosenstock
Catalog Summary: “Details the life of a young boy from the prairie, who becomes America’s first famous architect by introducing organic architecture, a style he created based on the relationship between buildings and the natural world."
Rock by Rock: the fantastical garden of Nek Chand by Jennifer Bradbury
Catalog Summary: "Tells the fascinating true story of artist Nek Chand and how his secret art project--hidden away in a jungle--became one of India's most treasured wonders, second only to the Taj Mahal."
Wild Buildings and Bridges by Etta Kaner
Catalog Summary: “Interactive activities and eye-catching illustrations, this book will fascinate budding architects and makers who love to build and know how things work."
Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lillian Todd Invents an Airplane by Kirsten Larson
Catalog Summary: “Explores the failures and successes of self-taught engineer Emma Lilian Todd as she tackles one of the greatest challenges of the early 1900s: designing an airplane.”

LEGO buddies
image 4 - books lists to inspire young builders

Click the title links to see these books in the catalog for Alamance County Public Libraries!

Select “place hold” and enter your library card information to request the books for pickup.

365 Things To Do With LEGO Bricks by Simon Hugo
Catalog Summary: "Presents a year's worth of games and projects that promote building skills and creativity, ranging from animal bookends and a paper airplane launcher to a brick toss tournament and memory challenge."
Awesome LEGO Creations with Bricks You Already Have 50 new robots, dragons, race cars, planes, wild animals and other exciting projects to build imaginative worlds by Sarah Dees
Catalog Summary: "Turn your pile of LEGO bricks into a day of fun! This unique activity book has step-by-step instructions and tons of photos to teach you how to build all-new and totally awesome robots and a robot lab, race cars to race your friends and jet planes to zoom across the room at lightning speed or fit in your pocket for on-the-go play."
Brick by Brick: Space by Warren Elsmore
Catalog Summary: "Building amazing space projects out of your LEGO bricks, of course Brick by Brick Space provides more than twenty-five amazing projects to build with your LEGO bricks."
Brick Building 101: 20 LEGO activities to teach kids about steam by Courtney Sanchez
Catalog Summary: "Industrious minds will love learning to build a bunch of different stuff with these 20 step-by-step projects that range from beginner projects, such as a geoboard and DIY slime, to more challenging projects, such as a bird feeder and balloon racer."
LEGO Absolutely Everything You Need to Know by Simon Hugo
Catalog Summary: "Shares facts about LEGOs and the minifigures, including that a wooden duck was one of the first LEGO toys, that 68,000 pieces are created every minute, and that a croissant piece can be found in forty-four sets."
The LEGO Ideas Book: unlock your imagination by Daniel Lipkowitz
Catalog Summary: "Six themed chapters offer inspiration for LEGO creations, with basic templates and instructions for creating new things out of LEGO bricks and sets."
LEGO Play Book: Ideas to bring your bricks to life by Daniel Lipkowitz
Catalog Summary: " Discover tips and tricks for better building techniques. Beat the clock with simple and speedy Quick Builds. Take on your friends with fun LEGO challenges. Spark new play ideas with story-themed chapters."
LEGO Star Wars Idea Book by Hannah Dolan
Catalog Summary: "Shows how to recreate hundreds of scenes and objects from the Star Wars universe out of Lego, including an X-Wing, a Hoth keyring holder, and the scene where Luke first meets Obi-Wan."
Tiny LEGO Wonders: build 40 surprisingly realistic mini-models! by Mattia Zamboni
Catalog Summary: "A collection of miniscale models built from LEGO bricks. Models include trains, aircraft, fire trucks, construction vehicles, cars, ships, and spacecraft. Features detailed step-by-step building instructions."

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Book Lists to Inspire Young Builders