Tinyville Town: Gets to Work!
I’m a Librarian—I’m a Veterinarian—I’m a Firefighter
Series:  Tinyville Town
Written and Illustrated by Brian Biggs
Abrams Appleseed  9/06/201
978-1-4197-2133-5
32 pages    Ages 3—5

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“Tinyville Town is a place where everything is just right. The morning bus is always on time, the garbage is always collected, and the baker makes the most delicious donuts. But one morning, something isn’t right in Tinyville Town. There’s a traffic jam on the bridge! What do the people of Tinyville Town do? Build a new bridge, of course.

“This charming tale of good people working together to make something great is the first picture book in the Tinyville Town series by bestselling artist Brian Biggs. Brian’s playful illustrations and cozy prose offer a celebration of hard work, kindness, and community pride.” [INSIDE JACKET]

Tinyville Town: Gets to Work!
[WC 761]
Tinyville Town looks like a great place to live. It is bright and beautiful. The town lies on the river, where a park welcomes people to its manicured lawns. Whatever you need, Tinyville Town seems to have it. There is a hospital and a hotel, a sports arena, school, and many buildings that have yet to be explored.
Every morning people smile and greet each other. The mayor says hello to the bus driver and buys a donut from the bakery. Garbage men pick up the garbage—with smiles on their faces! Tinyville Town seems to be a utopia; a smiling utopia!.  But then . . .

One day the bus is late, the baker has not made any donuts, and the garbage is still sitting in cans in the street. Where is everyone? Mayor Murphy is in charge so it is his job to fix this unusual day. The trouble is common to most every town:  a traffic jam. Tinyville Town’s bridge cannot handle all the new traffic coming into town. No one can reach their job to get it done. What can Mayor Murphy do to fix this traffic jam?
In Tinyville Town, even the water looks sparkling clean. The people in Tinyville Town are a diverse group. The jobs are not gender-specific. Today, there are three available with a fourth releasing soon. They are the librarian, the veterinarian, and a firefighter. Soon, the female police officer will be released with more are to follow.

I’m A Librarian
[978-1-4197-2322-3]
The Tinyville Town librarian is Kevin, a gay man in a relationship. He takes the bus to work. By nature, the librarian is a helpful man good at answering questions and finding the perfect book. Owen is looking for a book on elephants but the elephant books are missing. They are not in the reference section or in periodicals (library “speak” for magazines). Kevin finds them with Anna, who offers to share with Owen. At day’s end, the librarian will shelve books lying about and leave for home, on the bus, reading a book he checked out of the library.
I’m A Veterinarian
[978-1-4197-2135-9]
The Tinyville Town veterinarian is Val, a female of color with a husband, a baby son, and three pets. I think all bunny vets should have a few pets of their own. She starts her day making sure everyone eats breakfast. Then she rides her bicycle to work, greeting those she meets along the way. Several patients wait in her clinic: a dog with a sick stomach, a cat, a bird, and a turtle. Flash is the ill Dalmatian. She belongs to Charlie, a firefighter. The vet checks Flash’s weight, ears, teeth, and then takes an x-ray to check out Flash’s stomach. Uh-oh! Something is in Flash’s stomach that should not be in there. Oh, my, what did she eat? Val must perform surgery to remove the object. After the last patient, Val returns home to her own large family.
I’m A Firefighter
[978-1-4197-2134-2]
The Tinyville Town firefighter is Charlie, a single man with a big bushy mustache. He also has Flash, a Dalmatian who recently ate a yellow sock. Charlie is on duty, so he sleeps at the fire station. The alarm rings! Charlie and the other firefighters put on their gear as they run to the fire engine. Flash is there too. With the siren blaring, the firefighters race to the scene of the fire. It’s the bakery! The firefighters work hard to put out the fire. When the fire is extinguished, the firefighters return to the station, wash off the fire engine, and do other chores. It’s Charlie’s turn to cook. When night falls, everyone gets ready for bed, then hope they can sleep through the night—as long as the alarm stays silent.
Each career board book goes through a typical day in the life of a common occupation. What they do not tell, and I think it is odd, is the person’s name. If you read the back of the book first, you will know the person’s name. Still, the person’s name should be part of their story, not hidden on the back cover. Kids who like Sesame Street will love Tinyville Town and it’s occupants. The stories, like Tinyville Town: Gets to Work, are 32-page picture books, while the occupations are 20-page board books. Though Tinyville Town is utopian in tone, the town has its problems. The solutions require the cooperation of several people to fix when they occur. This is one of the major lessons: cooperation. Young children will especially like Tinyville Town and all the people who live there. There are more stories and occupations to come, so kids will never become bored with Tinyville Town.

Available Soon:  Tinyville Town: Time for School!  and Tinyville Town:  I’m a Police Officer (August, 2017)

TINYVILLE TOWN: GETS TO WORK, I’M A LIBRARIAN, I’M A FIREFIGHTER, and I’M A VETERINARIAN. Text and illustrations copyright © 2017 by Brian Biggs. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Abrams Appleseed, New York, NY.

Tinyville Town: Gets to Work:  Amazon—Indie Books—Apple Books—Abrams Appleseed
.          . The above will take you to the Occupation board books.

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Add TINYVILLE TOWN: GETS TO WORK to Your Goodreads Shelf HERE.
.          . To find any of the Occupation board books on Goodreads, check out Brian Biggs page HERE.
I’m a Librarian.  I’m a Veterinarian.  I’m a Firefighter.  I’m a Police Officer.

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Teacher’s Guide is HERE.

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Illustrations from TINYVILLE TOWN: GETS TO WORK by Brian Biggs copyright © 2017 by Brian Biggs. Used with permission from Abrams Appleseed/Abrams BYR.

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Copyright © 2017 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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Tinyville Town: Gets to Work!
Series:  Tinyville Town
Written and Illustrated by Brian Biggs
Abrams Appleseed 9/06/201
9781419721335