The rhythmic language in this delightful picture book is poetic as two little boys valiantly use all their ingenuity to build a dam to stop the stream reaching the sea. They make a plan and scrabble about searching for boulders and driftwood and stones to make a wall to thwart the water. With determination and a dog to help them, the boys work together to stop the 'cunning' stream, but, will it be enough? The colours of the gentle illustrations are soft  seaside hues of gold and blue and orange and the simple drawings of the boys, their dog and their dam, have a humour and sensitivity about them. This story is wonderfully reminiscent of beach holidays many will remember and is one to enjoy with youngsters many times. Perhaps it will inspire them to build a dam of their own next time they are at the seaside.

A hymn to the joy of 'messing about' on the beach - two small boys and their imaginations create a simple but dramatic story.

Friendship, play, achievement, the power of the sea: the eager, bright-eyed, 'white light' of childhood.  At one level, We're Going to Build a Dam is so simple; but it's also about all these important things.

Dam-making is one of those childhood activities that seem almost instinctively to appeal to every generation – and in this beautifully illustrated, tenderly told tale, Gillian McClure captures the process perfectly: the tingly anticipation as plans are made; the growing excitement (punctuated by frustration as the relentless water flow seems to find a way around each careful construction); and the glorious triumph when the stream is defeated, albeit temporarily.
Share the story with your charges and then, if you’re lucky enough to have a stream or beach within visiting distance of your setting, take a trip armed with spades and see how much luck they have with dams of their own; otherwise, organise a session of water play outside, during which the children can test how easy, or otherwise, it is to make a liquid do their bidding.