Synopses & Reviews
Step into unique homes from around the world and discover the many fascinating ways in which people live and have lived. If you lived in the mountains of southern Spain, your bedroom might be carved out of a mountain. If you lived in a village in South Africa, the outside of your house might tell the story of your family. And if you lived in a floating green house in the Netherlands, you could rotate your house to watch both the sunrise and sunset.
With intricate bas-relief collages, Giles Laroche uncovers the reason why each home was constructed the way in which it was, then lets us imagine what it would be like to live in homes so different from our own. Showing the tremendous variety of dwellings worldwideand#8212;log cabins, houses on stilts, cave dwellings, boathouses, and yurtsand#8212;this book addresses why each house is build the way that it is. Reasonsand#8212;such as blending into the landscape, confusing invaders, being able to travel with one's home, using whatever materials are at handand#8212;are as varied as the homes themselves. List of Houses included: Dogtrot log house, based on dogtrots built in the southern U.S.
Chalet, based on chalets built in the Austrian Alps.
Pueblo, Taos, New Mexico
Connected barn, based on connected barns common in northern New England.
Cave dwelling, Guadix, Andalucia, Spain
Palafitos (house on stilts), Chiloe Island, Chile
Palazzo Dario, Venice, Italy
Chateau La Brede, Bordeaux, France
Tulou, Hangkeng village, Yongding, China
Half-timbered houses, Miltenberg am Main, Germany
Greek island village houses, Astipalaia Island, Greece
Decorated houses of Ndebele, Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa
Yurt, based on yurts in Mongolia and other parts of central Asia.
Airstream trailer, USA
Floating house, Middleburg, the Netherlands
Tree house, USA
Review
"This exemplary title can inspire readers as well as educate them."and#8212;School Library Journal, starred review
"With such small connections, Laroche emphasizes the similarities over the differences, making this volume both an informative sampling of domestic architecture and a meaningful representation of global culture."and#8212;Booklist
Synopsis
Fascinating and unique, Wonderful Houses Around the World gives children a welcome entrée into other places and other lives throughout the world. Glorious two-page photographic spreads capture families outside their homes, be they simple or imposing. Detailed cutaway illustrations reveal the inside of each house, showing the various family members engaged in typical daily activities. Captions explain where each house is located, the environmental conditions that affect the house design, how the family lives in the home, and their possessions all providing interesting glimpses of life in other cultures. The ten houses profiled include a red mud dwelling with thatched towers in Togo, a yurt in Mongolia, a steep-roofed, shake-covered house in Transylvania, and a large donut-shaped communal building for 300 in China. This book increases children's wonder about and cultural awareness of the many different people and ways of life around the world.
Synopsis
Travel to 10 different countries, and learn about the children, their families, and their unique homes.
As the saying goes, a picture is worth 1,000 words--and that's never been more true than with Wonderful Houses Around the World. The informative book introduces children to a variety of cultures with 10 glorious, two-page photographic spreads of homes and the families who live inside. Each exterior picture is accompanied by an illustration of the home's interior, with various family members engaged in typical daily activities. Descriptive captions explain the everyday lives of the children and families: where each house is located, the environmental conditions that affect the house design, how each family lives in the home, and their possessions-- all providing interesting glimpses of life in other cultures.
There has never been a photographer of buildings like Yoshio Komatsu. He has traveled extensively around the world for more than 25 years, photographing hand-built homes. The 10 houses profiled here include a red-mud dwelling with thatched towers in Togo, a yurt in Mongolia, a donut-shaped communal building in China, and more. Other countries visited in this educational book include Bolivia, India, Indonesia, Romania, Senegal, Spain, and Tunisia.
Book Features
- Spotlight on 10 homes in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America
- Large, full-color photo of each home
- Detailed interior illustrations by Akira Nishiyama
- Captions and text about the children's daily lives
Fascinating and unique, Wonderful Houses Around the World gives children a welcome introduction to other places and other lives throughout the world.
Synopsis
A picture is worth a thousand words; the 10 photos in this book, along with the accompanying descriptive detailed drawings, make this a very informative book for children. There has never been a photographer of buildings like Yoshio Komatsu. He has travelled extensively around the world for 25 years, photographing hand-built homes. Photos from Mongolia, China,, Indonesia, India, Romania, Tunisia, Spain, Togo, Senegal, and Bolivia. Each structure is beautifully photographed, and then colorfully rendered in pen and wash, with many descriptive captions explaining the everyday life of children and families in these homes.
About the Author
Brilliant at bas-relief cut-paper collage, Giles Laroche is the illustrator of several picture books -- including What Do Wheels Do All Day (Houghton) and Bridges are to Cross -- many of which have generated starred reviews and foreign and special sales.and#160;and#160;and#160; He lives in Salem, MA and in the summer moves to an old barn in New Hampshire.