When I Was Built

by Jennifer Thermes

One humble house tells its own intriguing history.

Today, big houses surround me, up
and down my street. When I was
built, the Fairchilds were the only
people around for miles and miles.

Standing strong and proud, a trusty old farmhouse reflects on its beginnings, remembering the Fairchild family who built it more than two hundred years ago and comparing what life was like then to the bustling world of the Gray family, its present dwellers.

With rich historical detail and warm affirmation of both past and present, When I Was Built celebrates continuity and change, as it conveys the welcoming spirit that makes a house a much-loved home.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2001

About the author

JENNIFER THERMES is an award-winning children’s book author-illustrator and map illustrator. Her nonfiction picture book The Indestructible Tom Crean recently received the Bank Street College of Education’s 2024 Flora Stieglitz Straus Award in the Younger Reader category and is an ALSC Notable Children’s Book. Both Tom Crean and her book A Place Called America were named to the Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2023 list. She also creates black & white maps for middle-grade and young adult novels including the bestselling Vanderbeekers series. Jennifer is fascinated by big-picture ideas that span history, adventure, and the natural world, and weaves maps throughout her stories to explore new places and visualize how the past connects to our lives today.

To learn more please visit www.jenniferthermes.com, @jenthermes on Twitter and @jenniferthermes on Instagram.

Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a charming book. I loved the contrast of long ago days to current times. And the illustrations are wonderful.

[Mikel Flatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book follows the life of a house and its many lives with different families. The words are written as the house is telling the story which adds a fun and interesting element to the story. The illustrations show the development between what life was like way back when and what it has come to be today. This book is great for slightly older children that can appreciate the differences in how we live now and how are grandparents or great grandparents once did. It shows us the history of our houses and that it is important to remember that we should be grateful for some of the things we are given.

[Suzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just discovered this author/illustrator and love her work. This house book is a little different: it has now and then instead of the other way 'round. It's a cute New England staple and a good look at how we live now and lived then. Easy for kids to understand.

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book of comparisons

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet book bringing out the similarities between then and now, as told from the perspective of the house.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars
the biography of a house

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helps me to take a breath and slow down. Enough to want to cook a hearty meal, read with my children in front of a crackling fireplace, and let go of the sources of that tense biting pain between my shoulders.

We could all use a dose of this book in our frenetic day and age.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable children's book that shows life in a house built over 200 years comparing the original owners to today's owners. I liked how history of society and inventions is woven into the story. I especially liked how the contrasts are shown side by side so readers can compare the differences.