When Grandpa Gives You a Toolbox by Jamie L. B. Deenihan, illustrated by Lorraine Rocha

In When Grandpa Gives You a Toolbox by Jamie L. B. Deenihan, illustrated by Lorraine Rocha, you will be taken on a creative journey to discover why being given a gift you didn’t ask for might actually be the start of something magical! This is a lovely picture book to share, especially if you want to talk to your child about how to handle being gifted items that were not on a wish list – or explore the idea of making your own toys instead of always buying new ones.  

The little boy at the centre of the story starts out being disappointed by a birthday gift of tools (when all he wanted was a dolls’ house) but goes on to discover just how powerful using a toolbox, and sharing time with a loved one in the process, can be.  

Initially, we learn a lot about how to react to an unwanted gift – including a top tip not to feed it to a T-Rex!  

As the story progresses the little boy, with help from his Grandpa, learns that by using the right tools and with lots of practice he can make helpful gifts for everyone he loves... and create a magical dolls’ house too!  

This colourful picture book is a wonderful way to spark your child’s imagination and might just be the inspiration needed to start planning a project for yourselves!  

Learning to use tools for a purpose is such an important skill – from using a pencil to write, all the way to using a saw or hammer to build things. Being able to use tools effectively opens up new worlds of adventure for your little one and can really help grow their confidence.

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