Houses and Homes [Library Binding]

Ann Morris (Author), Ken Heyman (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1992 | Age Level: 4 and up

The world is full of houses. Big houses and little houses. Houses that stay in one place and houses that move from place to place. Some houses are made of wood or stone; others are made from mud or straw. But all of them are made for families to live in.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- A striking photographic survey of housing around the world that will be a real eyeopener for many children. The lush, full-color photos, one to two per page, tell the real story, conveying nearly as much about those who live in these ?- homes as they do about the dwellings themselves. Text is spare, delineating categories to unify the photo groupings (``Build your house with . . . wood or stone or straw or mud or anything at all. Weave it nail it tie it with rope.'') rather than describing the houses. That's done in the index, which is comprised of a miniature of each photo, an identification of the country in which it was taken, and a brief description. A black-and-white map is appended with each location clearly labeled. This is a solid addition for collections that support social studies or multicultural units, but would be equally fascinating to browsers throughout the age group. --Denise L. Moll, Lone Pine Elementary School, West Bloomfield, MI
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"A striking photographic survey." -- --School Library Journal

"One of the best books of the year." -- --Parents Magazine

"Will attract armchair travelers of all ages." -- --Booklist --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; 1 edition (September 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688101690
• ISBN-13: 978-0688101695
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,065,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ann Morris's many books include Families, Bread Bread Bread, Hats Hats Hats, On the Go, and Loving. She lives in New York City. As a children's book writer, Ann Morris has been able to successfully integrate her varied experiences in teaching young children, travel, writing, and editing. Having grown up in the polyglot public schools of New York City, where each child's ethnic heritage was revealed by his name or by the contents of the lunch box from home filled with sausages, egg rolls, matzos, or pizza, she developed a strong Interest In cultures other than her own. "I'm a gypsy by nature," she says. "I always have my suitcase packed."
She and photographer Ken Heyman once traveled across the United States to document the lives often different families. Both she and the teacher's pupils liked the snake charmer/teacher who taught class in a circus trailer with her favorite boa around her neck. Although Ms. Morris has never tried this stunt he herself, she has taught children in public and private schools in New York City, and adults at Bank Street College, Columbia Teachers College, New York University, and Queens College of the City University of New York. More recently she has been teaching writing for children at The New School.
Ann Morris left teaching to become editorial director of Scholastic's early childhood department. Now she devotes her professional time to writing and all her other time to people watching, music in any and all Forms, cat care, cooking and eating, and travel. All of these experiences, she says, provide material for her books.
In Israel Ms. Morris was caught up in the enchantment of the place as well as the conflicts that are a consequence of its history. One of her books, When Will They Stop Fighting? (Atheneum), reflects her concern about children who have become the victims of these conflicts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Stimulating!, April 20, 2000

By 

Tracy B. (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Houses and Homes (Around the World Series) (Paperback)

Houses and Homes is a great book to stimulate conversation for young beginning readers! The photos alone are worth a thousand words. I used this book as a lead in for a discussion with first graders about different types of homes around the world. The text is simple enough that they'll read it unassisted over and over. The index in the back of the book, along with a world map, is very informative! It states the specific country where each photo was taken and gives detailed information on the uses of the types of homes shown. The descriptions also include information on the relationships between homes, cultures, and climates around the world. My 5 year old nephew, a beginning reader, would not put the book down. If he wasn't actually reading the book, he was spending time looking at the real-life photos!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Houses and Homes, January 25, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Houses and Homes (Around the World Series) (Paperback)

This is a beautiful book with gorgeous illustrations. I found it very useful in my second grade social studies unit.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Photos are great for discussion!, July 13, 2006

By 

L. Weichel (Rockford, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Houses and Homes (Around the World Series) (Paperback)

While the text of the book is not particularly inspiring, it is an introduction to the different ways some people live around the world. My daughter is not yet two but she loves Ann Morris' entire series of books and likes to identify things in each photograph. We use the books to discuss differences and similarities between how we and others live. The photos are obviously dated but I don't believe that alters the impact of what the author and photographer are trying to do. As she grows, we intend to continue to read these books, moving on from identifying simple items to talking about cultures, traditions, environments, geography, and etc. The back of each book contains a map and descriptions of locations/actions for each page and will allow us to talk about where places are in relation to one another. I recommend these books for curious children starting at age 18 months and all the way up into the school years.