If You Live Here

PreS-Gr 1—Readers are invited to imagine what it would be like to live in a number of different homes in this creative picture book. Numerous types of dwellings are explored, including a spaceship, tree house, castle, submarine, and more. Each new setting includes a characteristic or trait that is helpful for living in that place. For instance, if one were to live on a train, the resident knows, "that everything changes," and if someone took up residence on a farm, they would "see all kinds of families each day." Neal's mixed-media illustrations are utterly spectacular; each double-page spread is bursting with color and detail. Not only that, eagle-eyed readers will notice that each scene contains a hint of the home on the next page. This title could also function well in STEM lessons, as readers can discuss and build the type of house necessary for a given setting. Pair with The House of Grass and Sky by Mary Lyn Ray and other titles for story times and fruitful discussions on the topic of home. VERDICT Whimsical and imaginative, this sweet story is a welcome addition to many collections.—Olivia Gorecke, Cape May Cty. Lib., Ocean View, NJ

This lighthearted meditation on dwelling places spotlights a range of homes with fanciful requirements for their denizens. "If you live in a tree house..." Gardner (How to Find a Fox) begins, "you'll need to be a good listener." In boldly hued art, Neal (Prairie Boy) paints two brown-skinned children in an elaborate tree house: one converses with a squirrel by tin-can phone, while the other listens to a record player via headphones. (They are not, however, listening to the adult calling and gesturing in the distance.) "If you live in a spaceship," text continues, "keep curious, for there is wonder all around." Inside the spaceship, two figures look out the portholes on one side of the ship while aliens in space suits peer inside on the other. A train ("Everything changes"), a burrow ("Everyone snuggles"), a candy store—all present repeating visual elements to discover and provocative possibilities to consider, and a final spread ties together the fizzy daydreams captured between the pages of a book. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)