If You Lived Here

If You Lived Here: Houses of the World by Giles Laroche is a beautiful picture book which tells the stories of houses around the world.

I love this book for so many reasons. First, Laroche created beautiful bas-relief cut-paper collages for each of the pages, which are fun to examine.

Second, Laroche provides several levels of information on each page. There is a single paragraph in large type, describing the house which is illustrated on that page. This is perfect to read to a younger child who loves the pictures and wants to move through the book quickly.

For the child who wants all the details, Laroche includes them, in much smaller type. These details have more information on the history, locations, and materials used to create the houses. If your child wants you to read every word on the page, then I would recommend reading this book over the course of several days, reading one two-page spread each day and encouraging your child to examine each picture closely.

The third reason I love this book is the map included at the back of the book. Laroche pinpoints each house on the map, not with words, but pictures, so children can find them on the map themselves.

Highly recommended for ages 4 and up.