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.

Classroom Experience: 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 teachers at Education Oasis
©2005 Education Oasis  http://www.educationoasis.com