THE BIG BOOK OF EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO GET THE JOB DONE

To do the job, you need the right stuff.

That’s the premise of this themed picture dictionary that displays tools, equipment, and apparel associated with different jobs. Illustrated in muted colors, the objects corresponding to the jobs are arranged and labeled on two-page spreads. Each spread includes an informative sidebar; additionally, kids are challenged to answer a question about each career. For instance, readers must select which tools a chef uses for measuring. (Answers to all questions are given at the end.) Some other occupations include artist, doctor, and mechanic. It is simple enough, but there are concerns with this title, originally published in Spanish, with numerous examples of off-the-mark labeling, such as “ceramic” and “antiquity” used to label pottery pieces on the “Artist” spread. A few spreads feature outdated items that will be unfamiliar: vinyl record and cassette player and tape; typewriter and film reel; floppy disk and a laughably passé cellphone. Some experiences are out of young children’s ken, so a few questions will be difficult to answer, and, on several pages, details get lost in gutters. Picture quizzes at the back require readers to find objects not belonging to the professions of depicted persons. Commendably, the illustrated workers are racially, ethnically, and nontraditionally gender diverse. Besides expanding vocabulary, the book develops the math skill of classifying.

Kids should have some fun, but they won’t make a job of returning.