What We'll Build by Oliver Jeffers

What We'll Build  by Oliver Jeffers

By Oliver Jeffers (author) , Oliver Jeffers (illustrator)

"A childhood classic that will be shared over and over again"

Paperback In Stock £8.99 £8.09

Hardback In Stock £14.99 £13.49

View All Editions (3)

Longlisted for the UKLA Book Award 2022 ages 3-6 | October 2020 Book of the Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month October 2020

Award-winning Oliver Jeffers will capture the hearts and minds of children and adults alike with this story of a father and daughter making plans to build a world that will keep them safe in the future. Brimming with hope but not ignoring the possibilities that the world and what happens next in it will present challenges, What We’ll Build is founded in the mundane (almost!) as the father and his daughter assemble building tools including a hammer, saw and drill – and a pig!

What they go on to build including a place to store love, a hole to hide in, a wall to keep enemies out and a gate to let them, a tunnel to anywhere, a road to the stars and much more and the reasons why they may need them it is summed up in the briefest of texts and Jeffers magical, vividly coloured story- telling illustrations.

Inspired by becoming a father, What We’ll Build is a childhood classic that will be shared over and over again.

What shall we build, you and I? I'll build your future and you'll build mine. We'll build a watch to keep our time.

Read the full description

A father and daughter set about laying the foundations for their life together. Using their own special tools, they get to work; building memories to cherish, a home to keep them safe and love to keep them warm.

** The extract is subject to copyright © 2020 Oliver Jeffers

Praise for Here We Are:

The witty images are atmospheric and full of enthralling detail Nicolette Jones / The Times

An optimistic snapshot of contemporary life, this heartfelt hug of a book ought to become a classic The Guardian

Beautiful illustrations Creative Review

There is a childlike awe and wonder about the stars and planets in the book The Irish Times

Delightfully illustrated Time

Beautifully illustrated Artists & Illustrators

This performer had assured pace and charm. The storytelling was captivating and a beautifully realised gem, with a surprise ending. Gorgeous! Audio Production Awards judges

Oliver Jeffers has won numerous awards and delighted millions of kids and parents alike with his beautifully hand illustrated stories.

Jeffers's picture books are wonderfully accessible. They explore themes of friendship, loneliness, independence and imagination. He has written and illustrated, or "made", as he prefers to put it, five hugely successful picture books. The first three - the "boy books" - feature a small boy who sets off on a series of daunting quests. How to Catch a Star (2004), the first of them, was inspired by a Brer Rabbit story he read as a child. I n Lost and Found (2005) the boy heroically rows to the south pole for the sake of an unhappy penguin, and in The Way Back Home (2007) he rescues a young Martian whose spaceship has crashed on the moon.

The Heart and the Bottle is wholly compelling for the importance of its message and the brilliance of how that is conveyed in words and pictures. This is a book to return to time and time again says Julia Eccleshare, Lovereading4kids’ editorial expert.

Jeffers was born in Australia in 1977 and brought up in Belfast. He studied visual communication at the University of Ulster, and graduated in 2001. Jeffers became passionate about making picture books when he began to understand the subtle relationship between words and pictures – ‘that was what excited me. Until I got really involved, I hadn't realised how just a few words can totally change the meaning of a picture.’ Now living in New York, he works as a painter, designer, printmaker and installation artist, but remains very busy making picture books.

Oliver loves plastic food, suitcase handles and Elvis, and has developed a bizarre habit of endlessly writing lists he never reads. He remains hell bent on travelling all over the world.

You can see Oliver talking about his artwork in this video:

We have a super set of Oliver Jeffers activity pages to download :

Once Upon an Alphabet colouring in.

The Day the Crayons Came Home maze.

Incredible Book-eating Boy wordsearch.

Photo credit Caroline Tompkins

We've got some great stuff related to this book in our KidsZone. Head over there and check it out now.

60+ Best Bedtime Stories for Under 5s

UKLA Book Awards - 2022

Our favourite children's books of 2020

UKLA Book Awards 2022

the best picture books · the best bedtime stories · the best books for 5-7 year olds

Happy: A Children's Book of Mindfulness

What shall we build, you and I? I'll build your future and you'll build mine.

The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed What We'll Build and determined it is suitable for children aged 0-6 years old

What We'll Build features in the following genres: Bedtime Stories for Children, Picture storybooks, Children’s picture books, Children’s: picture books, activity books, early learning concepts, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Books for Babies and Toddlers, Recommendations, Books of the Month, Ecological and Environmental Interest - Fiction, Featured Books for 5+ readers, Gift Books, Children’s / Teenage stationery and miscellaneous items, Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month, Star Books, Stories about Family and Friends, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Featured Books for 3+ readers

Paperback, Hardback. £13.49, down from the £14.99 cover price. In Stock.

What We'll Build was written by Oliver Jeffers and published by HarperCollins an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

What We'll Build has 48 pages

£13.49, reduced from £14.99. In Stock.

©PTC International Ltd T/A LoveReading is registered in England. Company number: 10193437. VAT number: 270 4538 09. Registered address: 157 Shooters Hill, London, SE18 3HP. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer

The National Year of Reading starts here. Join thousands of families and schools supporting reading for pleasure across the UK.