Giles Laroche

EVERY PAGE IN THIS DELIGHTFUL NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK offers a unique view into a different type of home, the reasons behind its design features, and a brief history of its people. Stunningly beautiful collage illustrations, loads of detail, interesting facts and figures, and just the right amount of information come together to make this a book that will both captivate and educate readers of all ages.
Each two-page spread is dedicated to a different type of house; examples include an show more early American log cabin, a Medieval chateau, a Greek “white town” village structure that is still built today, and even an aluminum trailer for traveling and camping. The intricate cut-paper collage illustrations combine drawing, cutting, painting and gluing, and will have readers poring over the tiny details. It’s just the type of illustration that draws in and fascinates young readers, who will want to take their time with each of the intricate scenes, which include not just the structures, but also people, animals, landscaping, and all the other little things that make a house a home.
But it’s not just the beautifully colorful illustrations that tell the story of each home. Each dwelling also has an introductory paragraph, “If you lived here…” with a few examples of what life would be like. Furthermore, below the paragraph is a short section of more extensive information, including House Type, Materials, Location, Dates, and Fascinating Facts. This layering of information makes the book appropriate for a large range in ages; younger ones can appreciate the illustrations while someone reads the text for them, and older readers can learn a little (or a lot) about each home.
This is a book unlike any other; it combines aspects of U.S history, world history, architecture, cultural heritage, and lifestyle. It will appeal to and enchant readers of all ages, and reads more like a typical picture book than a work of non-fiction. Giles Laroche has done a tremendous job of introducing some of the most unique types of homes in the world to children, and I would venture to guess that their curiosity will be piqued, and they will want to go on to learn even more! (ages 6+)

Reviewed by KSD show less

Sacred places from five major religions - Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism - are depicted, written briefly about, and tied in to a broader narrative that explains the worth, connections, and differences between sacred places across religions. Inspiring text and breath-taking illustrations make this book marvelous to read and experience. I wish there had been more representation of sacred places on the South American, African, and Australian continents, however, or at show more least been some explanation as to why they were largely unrepresented. There were just two sacred places in Africa included, and NO sacred places from South America or Australia were included. Of course, the author and illustrator had to limit the scope of the places they covered. For this I do not blame them! But I would have loved to see them acknowledge that there are hundreds of thousands of sacred places that fall on other continents and are part of other religions that they couldn't include realistically. Just an acknowledgement would suffice! show less

Read/Browse/Spend time with this book for the illustrations alone – awesome!!! Pardon my overly enthusiastic praise for Giles Laroche’s wonderfully-crafted artwork: by no means does that take away from the content. This is an excellent, sober, and seemingly accurate introduction to a number of the world’s religions (see pages 2-3). Once the concisely articulated groundwork has been laid, the fun begins. For this reader, Laroche’s artwork is tour-de-force material in its attention to show more detail, communicating humor and reverence and evoking other emotions. The accompanying text on the ensuing pages does it job and does not intrude. Also, the book’s end is a treasure in its own right: first, a subtle acknowledgement of a larger sense of spirituality in a two-page depiction of the night sky; a very cool map of the sacred sites and their locations, and a legend detailing the sources for the icons used throughout the book.

Bravo! show less

Picture-book illustrator Giles Laroche, who is known for his distinctive cut-paper collage art, made his authorial debut in 2009, with What’s Inside?: Fascinating Structures Around the World. This follow-up, which profiles fifteen different kinds of houses from around the world, is the second title he both authored and illustrated, and is a pleasure to peruse! From the dogtrot log houses of the southern United States, to the palazzos of Venice, there is an incredible diversity of structure show more displayed here. Laroche introduces each dwelling by discussing what it would be like "if you lived here," going on to offer a description of the house type, to discuss the materials used in construction, and to list the geographic location and date range for each one. A "Fascinating Fact" is also provided in each profile.

If You Lived Here: Houses of the World put me strongly in mind Yoshio Komatsu's Wonderful Houses Around the World, another picture-book which profiles the diverse dwellings of the world. In fact, many of the structures mentioned here - Mongolian yurts, Andalusian cave dwellings, Chinese tulou - also appeared in that earlier book, although Laroche's title includes a greater selection. Informative and engaging, this delightful picture-book offers a snapshot glimpse of how people live around the globe, and also features very appealing cut-paper illustrations. This is the second book I have read that featured Laroche's artwork - the first was Philemon Sturges' Bridges Are to Cross - but I suspect that it will not be my last! show less