This Is My House - Hardcover

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- Readers and young listeners take a worldwide trip to see and learn about people's houses of all descriptions. The spectrum is broad, and the treatment provides historical and sociological backgrounds in a most enlightening manner. There is unlimited value in the succinct, interesting text and pictures that ``show and tell'' just how and why these shelters are built. Varied lifestyles, climates, and available materials for construction are basic considerations wherever one lives, and young readers with access to this engaging book will readily grasp the concept. With few exceptions, each house is shown on a single page, accompanied by brief explanatory text. The bright, pleasing watercolors have enough detail to catch and hold attention, and children get a real feel for the locale by scanning these scenes for the landscape, people, and, in some cases, their occupations. In addition to providing engaging illustrations and narrative, Dorros includes the phrase for ``This is my house'' in its appropriate language as well as its phonetic pronunciation. The name of each country appears with the pictures. Attractive endpapers repeat the main illustrations, labeled by country. This is just waiting for a good browsing session, or for use as a supplement in a social-studies unit. Cram your classroom with models! --Mary Lou Budd, Milford South Elementary School, OH
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In his familiar, child-like style of naive watercolor and pencil illustration, Dorros attempts a picture-book overview of houses worldwide. More scattershot and larger in scope than last season's The House I Live In by Isadore Seltzer which focused only on America, Dorros's work includes 22 dwellings in such diverse locales as Turkey, Norway and Samoa. Unfortunately, the small type identifying each location is frequently difficult to make out, and the short paragraph paired with each drawing offers very little factual information. Bolivia, for example, merits only two brief sentences: "I live in the high mountains, where there are few trees. We built our house out of stone." On each page the phrase "This is my house" appears in that region's language (though it is never identified) and is both translated and transliterated into English. Teachers embracing whole language may find this an effective trade surrogate for traditional sources on shelter, or a useful starting point for children's own explorations of their communities. However, it's hard to predict much recreational use for this essentially curriculum-driven survey. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.