Bridget Heos - Lets Meet a Construction Worker

cl verleaf booksTM

Community Helpers

L ets M eet a

C onstruction

W orker

With thanks to my husband, Justin,
and Mr. Lee Moore B.H.
To Robyn and Jordan M.M.

Text and illustrations copyright 2013 by Lerner Publishing
Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part
of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the
prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except
for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Millbrook Press
A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.
Website address: www.lernerbooks.com
Main body text set in Slappy Inline 18/28.
Typeface provided by T26.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Heos, Bridget.
Lets meet a construction worker / by Bridget Heos ;
illustrated by Mike Moran.
p. cm. (Cloverleaf books: community helpers)
Includes index.
ISBN 9780761390237 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
1. BuildingJuvenile literature. 2. Construction workers
Juvenile literature. I. Title.
TH159.H46 2013
624.092dc23 2012019101
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 BP 12/31/12

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One

Trucks with Teeth

Our class is taking a field trip! Were visiting a
construction zone. Mr. Moore greets us. He is
the boss here. Hes going to show us how construction
workers build a new building.

He says we have to stay outside the fence.

Workers only in a construction zone!

Construction workers are people
in the community. A community is
a group of people who live in the
same city, town, or neighborhood.
Some construction workers work
on buildings. Some build roads.
I ronworkers, concrete workers,
carpenters, roofers, and plumbers are
all construction workers.

This isnt just any construction site. Its our new
school! But right now, its mostly dirt.
Awesome! Aiden says. We can play king of the hill
at recess!

Mr. Moore smiles. All this dirt will be flat.
Youll have a playground on top.

We see lots of trucks. Some work with big
metal teeth. Some have strong arms.

An excavator digs wide
ditches for basements.
I t digs narrow ditches
called trenches for water
pipes. It also moves dirt
for making roads.

The trucks dont do all the work. People are
inside. They steer. They guide heavy loads.

Chapter Two

Safety First!

Mr. Moore used to be a carpenter. He helped
build things with wood. Later, he was the lead
carpenter. Now he is the leader of all the workers.

He follows plans that an architect
created. Together, the workers turn
those plans into a building.

Construction workers take
classes and get training to
learn how to do their jobs.
They may start work as
apprentices. That means
they learn on the job from
other workers.

Mr. Moores number one job is keeping
people safe. He makes sure workers wear
hard hats to protect their heads.

They wear orange safety vests
so others can see them easily.

Beep! Beep! A concrete mixer beeps as it backs up.

The beeping helps keep everyone safe.
Workers know to move out of the trucks
path when they hear it.

Wet concrete flows through a long pipe to
the ground. This will be our school floor.

Drivers must get the concrete to
the construction zone quickly.
Concrete begins to dry after
about ninety minutes. Then it
becomes hard. I t wont pour.

Will we sink into it? Luke asks. Mr. Moore says the
concrete will dry and harden. Then carpets and
rugs will go on top of it.

Chapter Three

Green School

Some workers work high above the ground.
Masons build the walls with bricks.
Someone runs wires for electricity
through the walls.

Crunch! A few bricks break.

They will be recycled. So will leftover
metal, wood, cardboard, and concrete.

Your school is a green school, Mr.
Moore says.

Amia asks, Apple green or forest
green?

Not the color green, he says. Green
means its Earth-friendly.

He unrolls our school drawing. Solar panels on
the roof will take in energy from the sun. This
energy will power our computers, lights, and more.