If you lived here : houses of the world / Giles Laroche.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Master of the cut and paste art technique, Giles Laroche takes readers on a storytelling journey around the world that celebrates the diversity of homes and the people who are shaped by them.



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 worldwide--log cabins, houses on stilts, cave dwellings, boathouses, and yurts--this book addresses why each house is build the way that it is. Reasons--such as blending into the landscape, confusing invaders, being able to travel with one's home, using whatever materials are at hand--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

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 5-This intriguing exploration of homes around the world has something to offer a wide range of readers. Laroche's stunningly intricate bas-relief cut-paper collages take center stage, though the text is cleverly designed to appeal to multiple audiences. Large-font text suitable for sharing with a group appears on each spread, building on the title by inviting readers to contemplate the everyday experiences of living in 16 types of dwellings, from having to "step outside to get from your bedroom to the kitchen" in a dogtrot log house, to being able to "catch fish from your bedroom window" in a Chilean palafitos (house on stilts). Smaller-font text on each page offers additional background on the house's location, construction, and history. The diverse abodes include Spanish cave dwellings, Fujian tulous, Mediterranean whitewashed villages, Mongolian yurts, and even an entirely "green" Dutch floating house. This exemplary title can inspire readers as well as educate them.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

In this inviting picture book, Laroche presents a catalog of 16 homes, from a painted Ndebele house in South Africa to a Chinese tulou, in vibrant, intricate collages layered of hand-cut, hand-colored paper. Each house sprawls across a two-page spread, with illustrative details showing the geography, the inhabitants, and the community, as well as the house itself. The boxed text begins with a child-focused snippet ( If you lived here, you could catch fish from your bedroom window ), followed by bits of information under five headings: House Type, Materials, Location, Date, and Fascinating Fact. Laroche links the individual entries into a thoughtful whole with interesting comparisons from house to house. The entry on the pueblo village includes a discussion of the absence of doors to keep invaders out, for example. The subsequent entry on the connected barn notes that doors were left out to keep livestock in. 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.--Barthelmess, Thom Copyright 2010 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Laroche applies his signature bas-relief cut-paper collage technique to sixteen different dwellings that illustrate the range of places that people call home. Some types of homes are familiar (log cabin, tree house, trailer); others are less so (pueblo, chateau, yurt). Each, however, is introduced with a paragraph that begins with the phrase, "If you lived here," enticing the reader to imagine how it might be. Facts on each page (type of house, building materials, historical period) plus other intriguing comments (e.g., "Many children growing up in villages with cave dwellings believe everyone lives in caves -- and are surprised to discover that most people live in houses with a roof and four walls!") further satiate the curiosity. For young readers, these profiles not only provide glimpses into the lives of people who might live very differently from us but also expand and broaden their worldview. jonathan hunt (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

(Informational picture book. 6-9)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.