Louise Builds a House

Product Description


Louise's dreamhouse grows to elaborate proportions with each new imaginary addition.


From Publishers Weekly


Form truly follows function in this playful mental exercise in building a house. Before Louise begins, she stops to think. There must be a place for everything and everything must be in its place. To start, the roof must be flat to enable the owner to fly kites. Windows must be large to let in plenty of light for reading but there should be some smaller windows just right for decorating with paints. There are goofy things like a drawbridge to draw fish on and practical considerations like space for a vegetable garden. The imaginary house is pictured from the very beginning and each improvement is added until the end result nearly spills off the page. It is intriguing that the young "builder" of the house, once she completes it, turns it over to her younger sister so that she can get started on her next project--building a boat. Pfanner's text is spare and concise, and her cheerfully colored artwork is lighthearted and whimsical. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal


PreSchool-Grade 1-- Louise is a visionary who sets out to design her dream house. With self-assurance and aplomb she includes such essential details as "a flat roof to fly kites from," a moat, a life-sized chessboard, and lots of beehives ("because I like honey"). She completes her masterpiece, gives it to her sister, and in the spirit of true creative genius, turns her attention to a new challenge--building a sailboat. Pfanner's text is understated and her pen and ink and watercolor illustrations are childlike in their energy and simplicity. She starts with a gray rectangle in the center of a white page and adds progessively to show the house's development. Louise is seen on each recto, outfitted in appropriately flamboyant attire, making full use of each home improvement. The conceit that this creation should equally suit and delight her sister rings true. An imaginative celebration of the creative spirit. --Luann Toth , School Library Journal
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.