If You Live Here

PreS-Gr 1–Readers are invited to imagine what it would be like to live in a number of different homes in this creative picture book. Numerous types of dwellings are explored, including a spaceship, tree house, castle, submarine, and more. Each new setting includes a characteristic or trait that is helpful for living in that place. For instance, if one were to live on a train, the resident knows, “that everything changes,” and if someone took up residence on a farm, they would “see all kinds of families each day.” Neal’s mixed-media illustrations are utterly spectacular; each double-page spread is bursting with color and detail. Not only that, eagle-eyed readers will notice that each scene contains a hint of the home on the next page. This title could also function well in STEM lessons, as readers can discuss and build the type of house necessary for a given setting. Pair with The House of Grass and Sky by Mary Lyn Ray and other titles for story times and fruitful discussions on the topic of home.