My House Is Singing [Hardcover]

Betsy R. Rosenthal (Author), Margaret Chodos-Irvine (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Has your smoke detector ever tattled on you when you burned the toast? Does your sticky back door get the best of you? Do you have a secret hideaway where you keep your private treasures? Told from a child's perspective, the poems in this affectionate collection celebrate everything that makes each house a unique and special place.

From waking up in a cozy bedroom on a chilly morning to exploring a garage full of fascinating junk, this intimate house tour proves there's no place like home.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–A collection of short poems about what's in a child's house. Subjects include the piano, the laundry room, a door that is stuck, etc. The accompanying illustrations are done with watercolors and an effective stamping or woodblock technique. Some of the selections are in rhyme, while others are in free verse; they vary in quality. "My Hideaway" introduces the idea of a place where one can be alone: "And just behind that my-size door/there is a place where I can store/my rocks, my bugs, my diamond rings,/and lots of other private things." "My Bedroom Slippers," which depends on common and static images, is less successful: "They lie/beside my bed,/waiting/for my icy toes/to wake them up." Nevertheless, the book is acceptable as a supplemental purchase. David L. Harrison's Alligator in the Closet (Boyds Mills, 2003) and Dee Lillegard's Wake Up, House! (Knopf, 2000) both have a similar theme.–Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 3. "Dishwasher clicking. / Pipes pinging. / Listen closely. / My house is singing." Written in a variety of styles, this collection of spare, immediate poems describes the living, noisy personality a little girl finds in her house: the "weary" old roof, the "stubborn" back door, even the sock-eating dryer. Sometimes the girl argues with her house as if it were a sibling: "Why is it that / whenever I make my toast / a little crispy, / you tell on me?" she whines to the smoke detector. At other times, she finds deep, sweet comfort in favorite things: "You rock my body calm. / You rock me into sweet dreams," she tells her rocking chair. Chodos-Irvine's large, sunny, illustrations reflect the words' interesting perspectives with slightly skewed angles, elemental shapes, and airy compositions that don't overwhelm the poems. This is a natural choice for classroom poetry projects, and little ones will delight in the accessible language and delicious personification of familiar things. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: HMH Books (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152162933
• ISBN-13: 978-0152162931
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,225,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Betsy Rosenthal is the author of several children's books. Her first book, My House Is Singing, is a collection of poetry all about things in and around the house. It's Not Worth Making a Tzimmes Over!, is a story inspired by her son Joel's baking mishap and the feisty grandmothers Betsy plays badminton with regularly. Her newest book, Which Shoes Would You Choose? follows a little boy named Sherman who tries to figure out which shoes are the right ones for each of his activities. Should he wear tennis shoes in the bathtub? Or roller skates to a fancy restaurant?

In addition to her books for children, Rosenthal has had many essays published in newspapers and magazines, including the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun, Mothering magazine, The Jewish Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, California Monthly Magazine, and Working Writer.

Rosenthal was a lawyer before leaving that career behind to raise her three children and concentrate on her writing. When her fingers aren't glued to the computer keyboard, she keeps busy helping students with their college admissions essays, walking with a group of friends up the hills in her Los Angeles neighborhood, playing badminton, reading, traveling and chauffeuring her youngest son around to his various activities.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Educators Recommend, March 15, 2004

By 

Education Oasis "Education Oasis" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My House Is Singing (Hardcover)

"It keeps me warmer than a coat,/ drier than an umbrella,/ and safer than a good luck charm," says the narrator, a small girl. "It's one giant hug,/ wrapping itself around me,/ no matter what./ It's my house." And so begins this lovely, lyrical celebration of one child's home.

As readers move through the home page after page, hour after hour, we see everyday objects in new ways. The refrigerator door is a "Magnetic Scrapbook" taking us on a tour from Niagra Falls to the Golden Gate . The smoke detector tattles on makers of crispy toast. And on cold days, one can "open the dryer's mouth/ to feel its warm breath . . .."

As day turns into night, inside, the little girl hears the house singing: "Blinds flapping./ Floors creaking./ Clocks ticking./ Faucet leaking." And wrapped in her cocoon in bed-an orange, flowered spread-she hums a gentle tune and drifts asleep.

Using a variety of printmaking techniques, Chodos-Irvine has done a superb job of evoking a sense of cheery comfort with her cozy, colorful illustrations.

The text is an excellent choice for beginning readers, as a read-aloud, or one-on-one sharing.

Reviewed by the Education Oasis Staff

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great, November 30, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: My House Is Singing (Hardcover)

This book is great, makes me feel at home. I am at home but that's not the point. It's great.

I lOvE SaRa