Homes: From Then to Now

by Carol Lawrence, Poppy Kang (Illustrator)

No matter what type of home it is, where it is, or when people lived in it, people have always wanted to feel safe, secure, and sheltered. Homes have always met people's basic needs but our changing lifestyles have influenced the kinds of homes we have.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 2021

Reviews

[Shinae Wyckoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was perfect for introducing historical context in our history units in our homeschool (1st grade and pre-k). Elementary-aged children will enjoy the illustrations of these different homes throughout history, inside and out, and the different ways people live in them.

[Thomasin Propson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A picture book about architecture, history, Western (American) cultures. Best for early confident readers ages 7+.

Value of information: 4
Enjoyment factor: 4
Re-read likelihood: 2.5-3
Illustrations: 4

[Paige]

Pros:
Interesting basic concept of tracing the different kinds of housing throughout history. The book made the important insight that homes reflect the lifestyles or lifestyle components that people value.

Cons:
This is formatted as a picture book, but with several paragraphs of rather small, elevated text on each page, so I would ask what age of child this book is actually aimed at.
Also, there is a definitely secular and social-justice-oriented slant to the book: e.g., discussions of hundreds of thousands of years ago; the persistent usage of "enslaved people" or "people they enslaved" rather than "slaves"; pointedly mentioning that 1950s suburban developments were aimed at couples observing traditional gender roles; and invoking smart home devices and COVID-19 lockdowns as the timeline reached the present day.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 3 out of 5]

These two non fiction books seek to explore the ways these two inventions changed the way we live. The author goes through history to show how homes and the materials they are built from reflect changes in society and how transportation, from the invention of the wheel on, has changed how people connect with one another.


The volume on homes talks about materials and the environment, from cave dwellers through native Americans, on through European settlers and their choices. I appreciate the inclusion of how using the labor of enslaved people was part of the economic decision to build grand plantations. Also covered are the rise of cities and how mass transportation affected cities’ growth.

The volume on transportation emphasizes how the desire to communicate and engage in trade was behind the initial inventions of the wheel, the canoe, the chariot and subsequent vehicles. Again, a nice section describes how native peoples in North America made innovations. Transatlantic trade and the Industrial Revolution are shown to make way for railroads, cars and airplanes, and then the advent of rockets ushered in the concept that humans may one day live outside the Earth.

Digital illustration, in a sparse but realistic style, complements the text. Each book has a glossary.

These books are serviceable, but there are no photographs, sources or index, which would make them problematic for school reports.

[Little Batties · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like I just tortured myself for no reason by reading this book. Yes, it is primarily educational, but there is SO much information here that it's hard to digest it all in the way it is set up. There is too much written in a majority of some of the pages that the little ones this is intended for us going to get lost. This could have been simplified a lot more and still had all the information kids would need to know the history of homes.

There felt like there was unnecessary information here, and I don't know how much if it was intentional or not. Yes, the information and the background is important to know, but it doesn't necessarily have a place in a children's book. This, like the authors Transportation history book, would be better suited for higher elementary and middle school. It might still have a place in the classroom, but some students might prefer a video over having to read this particular story.

Honestly, I would not recommend this one unless you are trying to hit a specific standard or truly have an interest in this topic. It is far to dry and overwhelming with the amount of information to keep little ones engaged.

[Claire Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows home styles throughout history as the timeline goes on, particularly focusing on North American architecture while mentioning the influence of culture on it in different periods. I would put this in a display about American history or American architecture.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.