The Toolbox

This wonderfully simple book by Anne and Harlow Rockwell captures the joy children feel when discovering their father's toolbox. Each tool is rendered in loving detail with an engaging and easily understandable text. Published in 1971, the original (and the reprint) are both unfortunately out of print. However, the book was recently released as a board book, which I think is a terrific idea.

Typically when hardcover books are reformatted into board books, there are abridgements and changes to the original text and layout. The Toolbox is one of the few books that I think is an excellent adaptation. It preserves the spirit of the original, and the content is appropriate for toddlers between one and two years old (when they're still shredding and ripping up books- so the board book format is necessary.) Also, because the original book is filled with white space, the borders aren't sacrificed by shrinking it to a smaller size.

The only slight disappointment is that the handmade paper illustrations that Harlow Rockwell created for the book reproduce much better in the original book. In the board book the tools aren't nearly as beautiful as they are in the hardcover version. But this is a minor issue, and it is great to see this book in print in any format.