“Let’s Build a Dam” is one of the newest read aloud books coming out later this spring that depicts cooperation, imagination, and adventure amongst a sibling trio. As they build their dam bigger and bigger, they enlist more and more help from those around them. How big can the dam get? Find out in May when this title is released!

Thank you NetGalley and North South Books for allowing me to receive this book to review.

I enjoyed the vibrant and beautiful illustrations in this picture book, and my son and I enjoyed watching as the dam grew bigger. However, I feel that the author's attempt to express the importance of imagination and it's ability to lead us anywhere fell a little flat for me.

Thank you to Daniel Fehr, NetGalley and North South Books Inc. for an advance copy of the book for an honest review.

The illustrations in this book are gorgeous! They redeem a somewhat odd storyline that you have to reason out with a child’s perspective. I understand what the author is going for, and to some kids reading this, it might absolutely resonate with them. Overall though, it was awkward and abrupt in its flow and characters.

Thank you, NetGalley!

"What is a dam anyway?". We cracked open our Webster dictionary. Fun story with unexpected twists.. king who toils.. pirates who collaborate..and moms whom you cant sneak by..
Loved the illustrations.
Pleasant for kids to read with the pastelle colors. Great imagination.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Oh this book brings me so much joy! It's very nostalgic for me and reminds me of my childhood playing in the river that ran through our property. Imaginative play and nature come together in this sweet book.

This is a cute story about siblings working together to build a dam. It was fun to watch the dam get bigger and bigger as they worked as a team. It really shows kids that the effort of teamwork really pays off. The illustrations were enjoyable and really went along well with the story.

A very fun read! The illustrations are beautiful. The words are simple, yet captivating. I love the realistic aspect of children working together and building freely, while their imaginations flourish in the background. It is refreshing to have a book to read my children about other children who play freely in nature and let their imaginations run wild. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book to my children, and you will too!

The illustrations in this picture book are vivid and beautifully done. We enjoyed watching the dam get bigger over the course of the story. I believe the point of the story was that imagination can take you anywhere and create magical adventures, but the storyline was a bit strange for me. I did like the boy taking his stone back and thought the ending was cute! The middle section could have used a bit more clarity.

Thank you to NetGalley and North South Books Inc for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The illustrations are the best part of this children's fiction book. Very interesting and with eye to detail. It was good to 'see' children outside, engaging in healthy outdoor pursuits, having fun and learning some hands-on engineering skills. Unless this is the main point and subliminal message of the book, I feel that the storyline is somewhat weak and unlikely. One generally does not call criminals (the pirates) to come and join in play, at least, I believe children should be cautioned by overseeing parents or guardians. After reading through three times, I was still left with a question mark in my mind, puzzling over it and wondering what I'd missed. To give the story the benefit of the doubt, I'll give it 3 stars.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

January 2023

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

I loved the illustrations in this picture book. Unfortunately, I didn't care too much for the story. I get that imagination can take us anywhere, but somehow the execution of that thought just didn't shine through to me. Two okay stars.

The illustrations for the book were fun and colorful! My 4 year old enjoyed how the story brought in outside forces to build the dam bigger and bigger, however, the story felt like it ended abruptly and didn't really make sense. Which for a child's book is probably fine but as a parent who reads chapter books with my child, she just didn't love this one.

This is a cute, quick story about siblings working together to build a dam. I think it's a great story to read with children, especially siblings, so they can see the teamwork that these kids have. I love that there was no big conflict and it was just a nice, light story to read. It was enjoyable to read with my daughter as well!

A fun day outdoors takes an unexpected twist for 3 kids in this cute picture book. I read this on a very large desktop screen which I think makes a difference as the illustrations felt really vivid and lively. The story is just okay but the artwork and colours are gorgeous.

Thank you NorthSouth Books and NetGalley for the eARC to read in exchange for an honest review!

May and Lily, with a little help from their little brother, Noah, build a dam. And as it gets bigger they get more help from others who noticed their creation. When Noah takes his stone back and everything collapses like Jenga blocks.

This story fell flat for me. I get the siblings are pretend playing and perhaps there’s something I’m gravely missing about the story overall, but I found their imagination to be somewhat lacking. At their varied ages, I kind of expected their imagination to be wilder and more fantastical. At least they had fun making the dam.

A picture book in which the illustrations build upon itself is a neat idea. I had an e-copy of this story so I was going back and forth between pages to view the additional details as if it was a flip book. My favorite visual was the image of the water flowing over the different colored/sized rocks - that was pretty.

All in all, it was too short and I wanted more from this story.

A fun little adventure, though I feel like part of the magic was lost viewing this as a digital book and missing out on the printed format.

I love this little picture book, about some siblings getting together to build a dam, and the adventures they have when they do.

And then their brother goes and spoils it all by removing a lynchpin and the whole dam going, along with their fantasy. Pirates, kings, and all, go bye-bye.

Reminds me a bit of “We were tired of living in a house.” in which siblings try to find a better place to live, such as a sandcastle, or a cave, until the sandcastle washes away, and the cave has a bear. Same sort of imagination here.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

I read this book with my 4 year old son and while he did seem to enjoy the story he wasn't really able to relate to the characters brought in such as the King and his servants. I feel like this story is a good depiction of siblings working together and the importance of thinking about everything and everyone else. In this story the little boy wants his rock back but as we know taking a rock out of the middle of a damn will cause the whole thing to collapse....that whole concept however is a little beyond my 4 year old at this time....I'd say this book would be more appropriate for an audience of maybe 6-8 years old.

Loved the illustrations!! They were so colourful and beautiful. The story was short but I liked it and would love to read it to my nephews. The big splash would definitely make my nephew laugh. Plus I really liked the playful prose, kids dictating adults and even kings and pirates, a message about confidence and setting a goal and going for it.
Definitely an enjoyable read for kids.

Siblings playing together and building a dam seems like a fun story until the king, pirates and fishermen show up. May and Lily begin to boss the adults around, even the king, and use the word stupid when they call out “We don’t have time to play stupid games!” in answer to the king. These child characters do not give respect for people of authority or adults in general, which I find problematic when included in a book for this formative age reader or listener. The suggested age is 4-8 years.

This story, as written, straddles the fence between believable and fantasy. What is the portrayed intent of the book? Without intent, the story structure is incomplete and there is no true identifiable plot. May and Lily were not sufficiently identified until May fusses at a pirate so there is also a lack of connection with these two characters. Furthermore, I did not grasp the “hilarity” the book blurb promises. The siblings work together, so with a bit more communication between these characters, cooperation could be built upon as the intended lesson of the book.

Between a lack of true plot, the word “stupid” being used and the lack of respect for authority, this storyline did not work for me at all.

The illustrations are beautifully done and clearly relate what is happening. I love the rock inside book covers and the colorful, whimsically drawn characters that possess such detail down to the king’s looking glass.

I received this book from the publisher free of charge, with no expectation of a positive review.

Thank you so much to NorthSouth books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

May, Lily and Noah are building a dam, each time they stop and check it, they want it bigger and soon a king comes sending his men to help, then pirates come and are forced to work and the dam gets bigger and bigger.

This was so whimsy and full of kids imagination, the three of them constantly adding to the dam wanting it to keep getting bigger and bigger. Then adding In all these characters to come and help was so funny. I loved how the story progressed and even loved how it needed too, it was so creatively written.

I really enjoyed this book, it had really pretty illustrations throughout the book, that I loved looking at, seeing all the details on each page. I loved how imaginative it was, it was really easy to read and funny too. It’s such an entertaining read and certainly recommend it.