A House

by Kevin Henkes

Where is the door to the house? Do you see any clouds? What does the house look like when it is sunny outside? When it is raining? And what will the house turn into when its family returns? A home.

Kevin Henkes employs interactive questions, declarative sentences, basic shapes, and a limited color palette in this picture book. A House introduces young readers to shapes, numbers, the weather, and the parts of a house.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Childrens, Family, Juvenile, Counting, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

Published September 28, 2021

About the author

Kevin Henkes is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. As an illustrator he won the Caldecott Medal for Kitten's First Full Moon (2004). Two of his books were Newbery Medal Honor Books, Olive's Ocean in 2004 and The Year of Billy Miller in 2014. His picture book Waiting was named both a 2016 Caldecott Honor Book and a Geisel Honor Book. It was only the second time any author has won that combination of awards.

Reviews

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The latest Kevin Henkes story about a house will make a great future board book. This would be perfect for a parent or sibling to share with a baby or toddler.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

By the 2010s and '20s, much of Kevin Henkes's work was defined by elemental simplicity. Sun Flower Lion, A Parade of Elephants, Egg, and A House all fit this category. It isn't a bad thing; no one is better at drawing clean lines in a picture book than Mr. Henkes, and it can be good for the youngest readers to take a closer look at everyday objects.

Houses come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. The one in this book has a pink roof, blue door, and a round window to see in or out. During the day, birds flutter on and above the roof beneath the cheery sun, and at night the moon appears and stars sparkle in the sky. Rain and snow fall upon the house at different times of year. But what causes a house to be defined as your home? It's the people and pets who live in it, the work you put into designing the place in ways that please you, the sense of belonging you feel there. A home means more than just a house.

As usual, Kevin Henkes's artwork for A House is so fresh and clean, I can't resist commenting on it. There isn't much story, and the theme of house versus home isn't presented memorably, but I love the emphasis on asking creative questions. Other author-illustrators wouldn't draw attention to the fact that in a picture book, a round window often looks almost exactly like the moon, but Kevin Henkes embraces this subversive line of thought and encourages kids to have fun with it. A House could be the right book for a prereader or learning reader who favors a simple, quiet narrative to dig into. For that, you can always count on Kevin Henkes.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this read and response book, young readers are invited to consider what a house is and what makes it a home. Simple soft watercolor illustrations.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for infants and toddlers. The simple, clear, basic illustrations remind me a little of Tomie DePaola's art style.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect book for a preschooler on your lap.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A read and respond book. Henkes asks readers questions about the illustrations on each page. The interactive nature of this book works for very young readers in a family setting and emergent readers on their own.

[Jessica Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple book, excellent for that age where kids love to point out and find things as you read. From my experience that's between 1.5 to 3 ish. Also good for early readers. Groundbreaking or fantastic it is not. But instead simple and sweet.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story using simple verse, and pictures to describe and show the differences between a house and a home.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deceptively simple, this picture book invites readers into the story to ask questions and wonder in a very intentional way. Many adults know they should read books with their young children, but not all know how to engage in books with their young children. This provides a hands-on opportunity to do just that. Could also serve as an early reader in a picture book format.

Color palette has a nostalgic feel to it. The house and (especially) the people and animals remind me of the old Fisher Price toys. :)

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed from a PDF copy supplied by the publisher.

Henkes, a master of both simple and complex stories, knocks it out of the park with dip into visual literacy for young listeners and beginning readers.

Using short declaratory sentences and simple questions, Henkes shows that there are many things that can make up and interact with a house, yet all it takes is a few things to make it a home.

With an art style (angular, full of shapes) and color palette (rose pinks, sky blues, sage greens) reminiscent of many of the late Tomie de Paola's books, Henkes engages readers and listeners by asking simple questions such as "where is/are...?", "how many...?", and "what color/shape is...?" that elicit "yes/no" and lots of fingerpointing and activity. It reminds me of one of those manipulative "quiet books", made with fabric that engage with activities for small hands. The difference is that one that engages little hands, while the other engages the mind to count, observe, find, and conclude (that it takes a family to make a house a home).

A superb beginning reader, activity book, and concept book (weather, counting, color, shape, day/night, rain/snow. It will be fun to watch youngest ones as they feel empowered to entertain themselves by reading this book by themselves.

Highly Recommended for toddlers - grade 1.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: A house. Where is the door? What color is it?

Premise/plot: Kevin Henkes' newest book is A House. What you see is what you get--a simple drawing of a house, simple questions, very little--if any--plot. And yet despite its simplicity and repetitive nature it manages to ask and answer the question, "When does a house become a home?" It's an indirect question, to be sure.

My thoughts: Critics seem to love, love, love this one. It's received multiple starred reviews, and has even been called brilliant.

It is simple. It starts out asking extremely basic questions about the concepts of colors and shapes. It moves beyond those concepts to others--night and day, different types of weather, etc. But it isn't until towards the end where those questions become a bit more abstract. The people are drawn or rendered more like toys--think Fisher-Price Little People, old school--than actual people. I haven't decided if that is charming or weird. On the one hand, perhaps the house is a toy house??? On the other hand??? I don't have one. If it's not a toy house in a child's room and the author is playing around with us--the readers--then it's just strange.

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, A House is both a counting and concept picture book that describes the many events that happen around a house, as well as what a house is. The book heavily focuses on its imagery, using the words almost exclusively to draw attention to the illustrations. For example, one line in the book asks students to inspect the illustration and count how many stars are seen in the sky. The book is highly interactive and enriches many fundamental skills, such as counting, shape recognition, reflection, and visual comprehension. In particular, I enjoyed the cover quite a bit, as it is reversed from what one might typically expect. Instead of the title being on the cover, it is placed on the back of the book. The front cover itself depicts the titular house, and mimics opening up its door when flipping open the book. I thought this arrangement was extremely clever and would likely entertain students. I would target A House toward young readers - roughly kindergarten through 2nd grade - as a fun way to build counting and visual literacy skills.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read a children’s book, I look for 2 main things: (1) a story that is easy to follow, and (2) illustrations that draw attention. A House, by Kevin Henkes, is tops in both categories.

The story is great. It’s actually quite simple: The pictures of the house (in different weather, in different seasons) are accompanied by questions to ask the child, such as “Where is the door? What color is it?” and “Where are the stars? How many are there?” This story dictates that the story is interactive, engaging the child in focusing on the artwork and things like shapes, colors, and counting.

The illustrations are wonderful. The colors are soft and warm—primarily pinks and blues. The house looks the same, giving the story continuity even though the seasons and weather change. Each picture is “framed” so that the child may easily focus on it.

I can hardly wait to share this book with the children in our family.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A House, where is the door? What color is it? Where is the window? What shape is it?". This beautiful point and respond book is all about making a house into a home. We see the house in the daytime, at night and in different seasons, but it's when a family is there that it's something more than shapes and sizes.

Oh, this is a beautiful and simple book. Kevin Henkes illustrations are perfect, calm colors and predictable shapes and the text engages the child - my goodness, I was engaged. It's easy to point at the clouds, but you have to look again to see which is the smallest. I can see reading this again and again to a child just learning shapes and colors and words.

Cross posted to http://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com

[Angela Critics · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute book. I like the interactivity built into it with the questions about the illustrations. But, maybe I'm being too sensitive, but this is a very specific vision of a house that does not match the real-life experiences of probably the majority of children. At the end, it is a home once the people move in. But I get no sense that other places to live would be home no matter what they look like. Yes, it's a nit-picky critique, but if I, who live in a house that is at least close to the one in this book, feel like it excludes other experiences, how does a city child who lives in a row house or an apartment feel?

[Alissa Tsaparikos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this one because it is so simple and invites audience participation. Each page asks readers what they see on the page, and each question is so simple that it would work for some of the earliest storytimes. Readers watch the little house change with each spread, living through different weathers and circumstances. Finally it makes it's greatest change from a house into a home, which was a lovely way to end it. Because of it's simplicity it might not be a winner for older preschool, but that's okay. It would work great for a shapes storytime or even a weather one.

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, we meet a house. We examine the house from many angles. We interrogate the house and observe key features of it. We watch it in many kinds of weather. But what is a house, really? What is the difference between a house and a home?

This little book uses charming illustrations and simple questions to spark imagination and observation. The text is not intimidating for beginning readers. Despite being so short and simple, it brushes against some interesting scientific and social concepts that could be fun to explore with kids 3-6.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was simple but very cozy and cute. I might actually use this in storytime for pointing out how this book shows a framework for noticing basic shapes, size comparisons, spatial awareness, times of day, etc, which are so simple but all help with early literacy and math concepts. The text is very dialogic and gives kids the chance to point to things, count, chat with their grownup, etc. Sweet ending, too!

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Kevin Henkes' iconic, beautiful simplicity, he presents an interactive book that guides the reader or listener to interact with a house. The interactions are simple, but varied like looking for colors, shapes, and spatial placement. It encourages the reader or listener to interact with the text differently on each 2 page spread. In the end, it introduces the word "home" to add a new concept. Highly recommended for both school and public libraries, as well as read alouds.

[Cathy Ogren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect book for very young readers. Kevin Henkes begins with an illustration of a house. With each page turn, the reader sees the same house with different backgrounds. Henkes uses shapes, colors, time of day, weather, directional words, and questions that a child can easily answer by looking at the illustrations. It's a wonderful interactive book that ends with a family coming, not to a house, but to home.

[Dawn Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection!! Would love to do to a story time featuring this book; maybe pair with Kittens First Full Moon. Lots of ideas for accompanying crafts 😉 Kevin Henkes has become the new Eric Carle, a children's author/illustrator that continues to create memorable stories with meaningful contributions to children's literacy. Henkes is a writing genius & "A House" is the latest entry in the Hall of Fame for children's picture books.

[Angie Counsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A basic book for young children that talks about a house and asks questions around spatial awareness (up, down, on, off, etc) along with shapes and some basic colors. It also goes through day, night, and winter. A great book for introducing children to illustrations and how to pay attention to detail. Henkes is a great author who writes books that kids are happy and fun while learning basic skills.

[Kelly]

I thought this was an after death Tomie dePaola book. I swear he had houses with those roof tiles in the same way in his books. But anyway, this is a very interesting book. It is trying to teach by asking questions of the pictures, but it does so more as a novelty than didactically. Also a sweet (missing adjective) little story.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very basic concepts such as shapes, colors, and counting are touched on in this read/respond book for our youngest students.
The book shows a simple house at various times and seasons. In the end people (that look like Fisher Price toy people) are shown entering the house and the house is called a home.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to have a double-take as I was sure this was a lost Tomie dePaola, with a similar muted palette, and simplicity of line.
I love the simplicity and rhythm - both of the illustration and text. This is one I'm putting aside for storytime.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A House is an excellent book for non-readers. By the time the book is finished, non-readers will have learned:

1) What a house looks like in the daytime.
2)What a house looks like in the nighttime.
3) What a house looks like in the rain.

I thought the pictures adequate for non-readers.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kevin Henkes is an author that I can always count on! This book allows for great discussions with young students as it explores a house in many seasons and times of day. I especially like the questions and answers as understanding a question versus a statement is a teachable necessity for my kindergarten students!

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of picture books that inform the youngest readers about reality, supplying words for everyday things.

Kevin has done a great job with that in this book. It's just interactive enough, and never overwhelming.

"A house in the rain."

Sure, that's worth an exciting double page spread.

FIVE STARS for author and illustrator Kevin Henkes.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank to Harper Collins for the digital arc. This is a very simple book about the features of a house and how it looks different in the morning, night, snow, rain, etc... This would be the perfect book to add to a pre-k classroom since they study families and homes.

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A narrator introduces the reader to a house, asking questions about the house and its surroundings as the seasons change and the house changes from just a house to a home.

A good choice when reading to a child one-on-one, since the text lends itself very well to sparking discussion.