Review Detail

HERE COMES THE FIX-IT FORCE! is a cute board book novelization of an episode from the Chico Bon Bon show. In this story, Mayor Murphy of Blunderburg needs the help of the Fix-It Force. The Fuzzball Bunch keeps skateboarding around City Hall and scuffing and scraping as they go. The Fix-It Force has a plan - they put up barriers around City Hall, but the Fuzzballs get over them. It's time for a new plan. The Fix-It Force decides to build a skate park, but they soon learn that it also has to have "juice," meaning that it has to be fun. Using their tools, they measure and build a really cool skate park, so the Fuzzballs will go there instead. At the end, the Fuzzballs are so happy, they return to help clean up City Hall.

What I loved: This is a really entertaining board book that features pull-out tabs on each page that capture some of the Fix-It Action, such as showing the measuring tape growing longer or the drill being taken out of Chico Bon Bon's toolbelt. The story itself is told through panel images that appear in several green squares on each page spread. The plot is relatively cute and innocuous, which works well for the preschool and toddler crowd. The fun characters in the Fix-It Force and around the town are sure to charm young audiences.

The board book format is great for children who like to explore by themselves, and the pull tabs are nice and sturdy, making them work well for even rougher readers. The bright colors and cute characters are also perfect for the intended audience, whether they are already fans of the show or not. The themes around collaborative work, redirection, and STEM are also ideal for this age group.

What left me wanting more: The text is really tiny in this book, making it a bit hard for caregivers to read aloud. The size of the board book is relatively small, even for a board book, so it may have benefited from a larger format. The amount of text on each spread will work better for preschoolers and older children, as the pages turn slowly.

Final verdict: A cute and colorful board book, HERE COMES THE FIX-IT FORCE! is an entertaining story about working together and using STEM to fix problems that is great for toddlers and preschoolers. Whether fans of the show or not, this pull-tab book is a fun addition to little one's libraries.