Building a House

by Byron Barton

Book Overview

Byron Barton, the celebrated creator of numerous picture books for very young children, including Trucks, My Bus, and My Car, builds a house, step by step, right before your eyes

A machine digs a big hole. A cement mixer pours cement. Carpenters put up walls. Bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, and painters do their part. Through brilliantly simple words and pictures a house is built.

You can almost do it yourself...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688093566
• ISBN13: 9780688093563
• Release Date: May 1990
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 9.7" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

A great way to build a house

We are currently building a house so this book has been the perfect companion to this process. My little boy (two and a half) is able to make connections to the pictures in the book to what is going on in 'real life' with his house. If you are building a house and have a small child, I highly recommend this book.

How to build a house

A very nice book for toddlers to see how houses are made. Our grandson loves machinery and how things are made. Nice art work.

Excellent book for preschool and toddlers

When I saw this book only had an average of 3.5 stars, I had to write my own review. My two boys LOVE this book. One is 5 years old, with mild autism, and the other is a highly gifted [...]. The text IS simple, and short, but the pictures allow for plenty of exploration and explanation. We talked about all the different people involved in building a house, the family moving in when it was complete, etc.... In my mind, this is an excellent book for sharing. Parents can expand on the simple text as they see appropriate.

Building a house 101 for preschoolers

Byron Barton gets another A+ in my book for clear, simple pictures and text. This book is geared for the toddler/preschooler crowd with its primary colors and constuction basics. It would be a great book for anyone in the process of building a house or watching houses being built in their neighborhood. My 2 year old sons are really starting to associate the similarities between this book and some of the construction sites we visit. While Barton's pictures are simple, there is enough detail to expand beyond the written text. For example, on the page with words "They put up walls.", we are able to find the windows, the floor and foundation. On the page with the plumber, they like to point out the future shower, toilet, and sink. (And of course, being 2, they like to expand on the functions of the staples of every bathroom!)Our only complaint is that the finished house needs a little decorator's touch. After all, it is totally green and red with no landscaping whatsoever! Even my guys noticed there are no trees. But overall a great book for all our future builders.

Perfect for young children

Simple factual text and brightly colored pictures in clear black outlines all combine to make this a book that should be fascinating to toddlers.