A House by Kevin Henkes

 

Yes this is the cover of A House. The title and author name appear on the back cover.

What makes a house a house? A roof? A door? A window? A floor? What makes a house a home? A cat? A dog? Someone to love? You?

Book description: 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. Caldecott Medal-winner Kevin Henkes employs interactive questions, declarative sentences, basic shapes, and a limited color palette in this brilliant and classic picture book. A House introduces young readers to shapes, numbers, the weather, and the parts of a house, with a rhythmic, repetitive text and remarkable illustrations. A story about home, family, community, and belonging, A House is an excellent choice for emergent readers, for social and emotional development, and for storytime sharing.

This is an incredibly simple book and yet it is utterly charming and I am certain your preschool reading companion will enjoy interacting with this book.  It is also sure to be one that you revisit many times.

Henkes has put together a charmingly and deceptively simple interactive book that helps young readers identify shapes, delve into the concept of counting, and recognize meteorological phenomena. The soft colors and gentle questions serve to invite participation rather than coerce it. Kirkus

I am a huge fan of Kevin Henkes. He is the author of over sixty books. Junonia has a very special place in my heart and I love little Chrysanthemum and little Billy Miller. Take a look at the Kevin Henkes web page. I was a little amazed to discover A house is a title on our NSW Premier's Reading Challenge list for K-2. The inclusion of this book seems very strange but I do think this is a book that should be included in all preschool collections. 

The board book of A House will arrive in Australia later this year.