Whose House? [Hardcover]

Barbara Seuling (Author), Miriam Altshuler (Author), Kay Chorao (Illustrator)

Book Description

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

After a young boy imagines himself in different animal homes, he realizes that each animal has its own perfect place. And at the end of a long day of adventure, nothing is better than his cozy white house, with his mom and his dad, the books that he's read, and his warm little bed . . . all waiting to welcome him home.

Filled with playful rhymes and charming watercolor illustrations, this comforting story is perfect for all children snuggling into their own beds for the night.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–A little boy imagines what life would be like if he lived in various animal "houses." He tries out a beaver lodge, a frog's log, and even a beehive. He also samples a tree limb, mimicking the lives of a chickadee, a bat, an owl, and a chipmunk. Finally, he decides that the house that is "just right" for him has a red roof, a fluffy cat, a warm bed, and a mom and dad. This simple picture book has just three lines of text leading up to, "It's fine for [insert name of animal]… but not for me!" It could stimulate questions and discussion about the various creatures. Chorao's soft watercolor illustrations are pleasant, and the last one, of the boy sleeping in his bed, leaves readers with a cozy, safe feeling. However, there is one major inconsistency: the text says that "curling up on the ground" is not for the child, yet he is shown sound asleep there. There are several good picture books about animal houses, including Mary Ann Hoberman's A House Is a House for Me (Viking, 1978), Margaret Wise Brown's The Wonderful House (Golden, 1998), and Linda Ashman's Castles, Caves, and Honeycombs (Harcourt, 2001), which is dramatically illustrated by Lauren Stringer. Whose House? is an additional purchase.–Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS. A young boy considers various animal abodes: "A lodge of twigs is a beaver's digs," but although it's fine for beavers, "It's not for me!" Nor is the hollow log that's good for a frog or the pine hotel where the brown bats dwell. The humor here comes when the boy finds himself actually in the animals' homes--up in the tree with the chickadee, crawling through a beehive with honey splattered on his head. The text is catchy, and the idea of visiting an animal's house is tinged with fantasy, but sometimes Chorao's watercolor, ink, and colored pencil artwork has an ordinary feel, as when the boy lies down in a clearing with a doe and her fawn; other pictures feature animals dressed in clothing, sitting in chairs. In the end, of course, the boy finds a house that works well for him--his own. Light humor and a comforting message give this lots of child appeal. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152163476
• ISBN-13: 978-0152163471
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 7.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #653,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Educators Recommend, June 17, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: Whose House? (Hardcover)

While sitting in the woods near his house, a young boy envisions the various types of dwellings that serve as homes for animals.

A lodge of twigs is a beaver's digs,
where he can be
with his family.

It's fine for beavers . . .

" . . . but not for me!" he tells us as we turn the page to find him trapped in tangle of twigs. Further on in the book we read, "Brown bats dwell in a pine hotel,/ feet over head-/ no need for a bed!/ It's fine for bats . . ." Again we turn the page to find . . . the little boy hanging upside down on a tree limb among the bats while he exclaims "but not for me!"

After a day of imagining all kinds of abodes from logs to hives to sycamore trees, our young protagonist makes his way home. With its red roof and little light and fluffy cat it welcomes the little boy into the cozy interior where he finds his dad waiting by the fire and his "warm little bed" and the books he's read. A fine and fitting ending for this charming, lyrical tale.

The text flows wonderfully and the print is clear, black, and large-perfect for beginning readers. The illustrations, done in watercolor, gouache, and pen-and-ink by the supremely talented Kay Chorao are picture perfect for the graceful text.

Whose House? is, of course, a predictable/pattern book. It is a super choice for story hour. When we read the book to a group of kinders, they quickly learned the pattern and were eager to shout, "But not for me!" in the appropriate places. We also discussed the question found on the back of the book, "What makes your house just right for you?" Highly recommended.

Reviewed by the Education Oasis Staff.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A cozy read, October 16, 2005

By 

Jenny L. Hall (La Grange, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whose House? (Hardcover)

What a wonderful, cozy book to curl up with! My son loves the adventure of the little boy exploring the different animal "houses", until he finds his OWN house, which is just right for him. We often read this just before bed, it's a perfect book to snuggle into bed with.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where do I belong?, June 3, 2004

By 

Karen Woodworth Roman "Happy Librarian" (DeKalb, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whose House? (Hardcover)

A young boy sits by a tree and reads about animal habitats. The text is told in simple rhyme and the boy envisions himself in each of the animal homes. Chorao's illustrations are soft and cozy, but also subtly humorous. Karen Woodworth-Roman