Fix That Clock

“The perfect book for any child who has ever played with a hammer.”

Kurt Cyrus has written and illustrated many picture books. His art is crisp and clean, richly detailed as the pages move through different dramatic angles. Fix That Clock is no exception, with stunning art that takes us from the wreck of a teetering clock tower to the glory of newly repaired and painted “queen of clocks.”

The story is told in rhythmic rhyme well suited for the ticking of a clock:

“Wibble-wobble goes the clock

shaking loose a noisy flock.

First the flapping pigeons go;

second is the cawing crow;

third the owl; then the bats,

swallows, sparrows, mice, and rats.”

As the clock’s wooden steps are hammered, its walls rebuilt, its gears polished and fixed, the animals and birds flee. But young readers do not need to worry about them finding a new home. The book ends with the diverse construction crew building homes for all of them: “Up they go, and now we’re done. Little homes for everyone!” More than a book about building and repair (a favorite topic for most young kids), this is also a book about conservation and rescuing—both the clock and the critters who have claimed it for shelter.

Everyone likes to repair things, and Kurt Cyrus shows us how in a book where you can practically smell the sawdust. This is the perfect book for any child who has ever played with a hammer. And those who haven’t will be inspired to pick one up after they read Fix That Clock