Thank you to NetGalley, and the Publisher for the eARC! A cute story about children building a dam in the nearby water. The children's imagination runs wild when pirates, kings, and others stop by their dam to see what is going on. A cute story for those who need to see the power of an imagination!

Let’s Build a Dam! Had such beautiful illustrations. I read this book to my young kids and they loved seeing the siblings playing together and creating a beautiful world with their imagination. My oldest was even happy when the King even joined in to help build a bigger dam.

The book is really an enjoyable one. The humor part comes in the last page which was hilarious. I read a lot of mystery and thrillers, and I wanted to relax my mind. And, the book just gave me the same vibe. It was really funny with good graphics. Indeed, a 5 star book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an opportunity to read and review the book.

This is a fun book with beautiful yet simple illustrations. Just three children trying to build a dam and every adult trying to help them. There's not much of a point to this book other than to have fun and honestly, I dig that. Not every picture book needs to be a lecture on morality and ethics. And I know the author and illustrator intended that because the description says "Children will delight in pointing out the changing details on each page" so some reviewers ought to give them a little break and just buy a fun and whimsical book for children.

"We don't take; we build."

Let's Build a Dam! by Daniel Fehr is a wonderfully illustrated, whimsical book. I think children will love its gorgeous illustration and amusing story. I love how the children's little spot where they build their dam becomes more colorful and imaginative as you flip from one page to another. I also like how it ends and shows how imaginative children can be, given the encouragement they deserve.

Thank you, NetGalley and NorthSouth Books, for my copy.

Let’s Build a Dam is a beautifully illustrated children’s story with a lot of whimsy and inventiveness. I liked the children’s imagination play as I currently see my children playing this way. The underlying message of teamwork and everyone of varying backgrounds working together was great, but I wish it was a little more clear. Reading this to my kids, it helped open the conversation but I think the book itself needed to dive a little deeper.
Thank you NorthSouth books for the digital copy through NetGalley!

For such a small book, it holds a huge tale. Truly shows how powerful the imagination of children can be. Very cute!!! The artwork was beautiful.
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to review this.

A fun narrative for young children, but what I really loved was the visual aspect of this story. The main picture grew and changed from scene to scene, almost like stop action. I flipped through the pictures multiple times, enjoying the visual story. Delightfully fun.

This book had beautiful illustrations and featured outdoor imaginative play. Cooperation and kindness were demonstrated by all the characters and I think it could be a good tool for teaching teamwork. The kids in the book use the word "stupid," so this story would be best for kids 7 and older.

Let's Build a Dam! is a really cute, adventurous stories about three siblings who build a dam. I loved the fantasy of all the people who came to help build the dam, and that they want to do it again the next day! I loved the theme of working together.

A cute tale of children’s imagination and creativity. I loved the beautiful illustrations and fun storyline. A great book for younger kids!
Thank you to NetGalley and North South books for this eARC!

This is super cute. It's whimsical and fun and imaginative, and encourages the reader to use their imagination and play outside.

Have you ever spent a summer day building a dam with your siblings? I have. Yeah, it was across a tiny stream but it didn't feel like that while we were building it. It felt so much bigger - like in this story. We created a pool to splash about in and hunt crawdads in. It was amazing.

No, pirates and fishermen and kings and villages did not magically appear, but that's where imagination comes in.

The story is simple, yes, but it does a fantastic job evoking that "summer dam building" feeling. It doesn't *need* a complicated plot or a moral lesson. Just some kids and rocks and a stream and their imagination, and a mom to wrap them in blankets and give them hot cocoa after.

The art is gorgeous and humorous and adds a lot to the story. The colors used and the techniques and textures used in creating the landscape give it a 'summer day in the imagination' feeling that fits perfectly with the text.

I look forward to sharing this with my kiddo (8). He's a little old for it, maybe, but I think he'll really enjoy it. I would definitely recommend it for younger kids. It's a book to take time with and investigate the changing details of the images as the story progresses.

*Thanks to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for providing an early copy for review.

A children’s picture book with beautiful illustrations.
Thank you to Daniel Fehr, NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for the arc of this book.

I love the illustrations in Let's Build a Dam!. They set the perfect tone for this fantasy about a day of play for three children who live near a lake.

I don't really love the story, though. While it does encourage creativity and imaginative play, it doesn't really offer any realistic ideas about responsibility, repercussions, or staying safe.

I'm kind of on the fence with this one, because it's fun but it doesn't offer anything of substance for a young child to glean from it. It's like, "play, have fun, use your imagination, and...well, that's all I've got."

Not my cup of tea.
I was so excited when I saw this book as I thought it would be a perfect STEM provocation. Some children go to their local creek?river? and begin building a dam. However the story is somewhat flat with no consideration of the environmental problems with randomly building a dam. It’s such a shame as the illustration is beautiful and the end of the story holds promise. There isn’t any mention of how to work together or solve conflicts, it’s a little random.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Not my favorite story. I like the moral behind but I do not feel children will be drawn to this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review

When siblings set out to build a dam, their creation runs wild attracting the attention of kings, fishermen and pirates. As the dam grows higher and higher, everyone is having a grand time until Noah wants the green stone he donated for the dam back.

Cute story centered around childhood imagination, friendship, and siblings. Young children will enjoy this book.

Funny story! I can remember building small dams in streams as a child! I'm not sure city kids will get the story, but it was amusing to me, Maybe if the story is read before a trip to a park with a stream. The illustrations are nice and I can't wait to see the book in color. The author did a fine job on the story, just not sure it most kids will get it. BUt love the use of the of the children's imaginations in the story!

Pretty illustrations and overall a fun read. I enjoyed the fantastical aspect and the sibling relationship as well as the small nature part but missed the central point/ message which is fine because at the end of the day books can be fun and nice without having some kind of message.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Even though I’m an adult, I absolutely love PB’s. There is so much that one can learn from them - small snippets of strange and glorious information, or a life’s lesson nestled in the pages. LET’S BUILD A DAM!, written by Daniel Fehr and illuminated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio, is a beautifully illustrated book. The cover really drew me in, and I couldn’t wait to read it.

By the time I finished the book, I knew that there was something missing: a plot. The children built a dam, got various adults to help them, the dam was destroyed, the end. That’s not a spoiler because a spoiler involves revealing the plot.

There were no motivators for the kids or the adults, no consequences, and no lessons learned. The storyline provided a lot of opportunities for the author to create a meaningful message, but he didn’t take advantage of it. For example, if a shipload of sailors—and even their king—is going to help a couple of kids build a dam, surely there must be a reason why?

There is immense competition for books. At the same time, many people—including Americans and Europeans—are on the verge of financial ruin; some people can’t afford to even heat their homes. Parents, schools, and even libraries have to be extremely careful with their money. One has to ask themselves: is this book worth $19.95? Because of the issues listed above, I’m inclined to say no.