"The Blocks Building" was born as a poem and remains so in this newly minted Book Five of Kelly Anne Manuel's Essentials Series. In this story the Child is invited on a journey where blocks are the destination. Block play is such an incredible opportunity for Children to learn on so many levels that the author felt a book dedicated just to them was important.
"The Blocks Building" offers a standing invitation to the Child. The Child will be invited to explore why blocks are so engaging and perfect for the world of pretend. Block play is about freedom of thought, choice, and unknown outcomes. The story encourages the Child to utilize block play even though these freedoms are a supplement to the primary enjoyment of creation.
The simple words take on new meaning as the illustrations pair perfectly with their presentation. The bright colors and block formations are meant to visually stimulate curiosity. Block play requires the Child to actively engage with the blocks for any outcome to be realized. This active engagement in play results in learning in a variety of productive ways. The Child's imagination will be ignited with possibilities as all manner of images leap off the pages.
Children are naturally drawn to colorful toys of all shape, sizes, and textures. Blocks are an excellent example of all these various options. Since blocks come in all forms and can be made out of so many different materials, even the diversity of them is an important idea. In this story the author includes the Child to actively engage in flexing their imagination muscle by allowing the Child to answer some questions posed by the narrator.
It is in early Childhood that futures are being constructed. "The Blocks Building" is a tool in a Caregiver's toolbox to assist with that healthy formation. The idea that bringing a world from imagination into actual structure is a benefit of block play that the author embraces. The Child who reads this book will benefit from a motivation to explore block play with a new found excitement.
