TOP: Greek Island Village (jacket art)
2ND FROM TOP: Connected Barn
3RD FROM TOP: Chateau Le Brede
BOTTOM: Pueblo

Here are four illustrations from Giles' book, If You Lived Here: Houses of the World, published in 2011.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-23892-0

FROM AMAZON.COM

"Step into unique homes from around the world and discover the many fascinating ways in which people live and have lived.

"If you lived in the mountains of southern Spain, your bedroom might be carved out of a mountain. If you lived in a village in South Africa, the outside of your house might tell the story of your family. And if you lived in a floating green house in the Netherlands, you could rotate your house to watch both the sunrise and sunset.

"With intricate bas-relief collages, Giles Laroche uncovers the reason why each home was constructed the way in which it was, then lets us imagine what it would be like to live in homes so different from our own.

"Showing the tremendous variety of dwellings worldwide - log cabins, houses on stilts, cave dwellings, boathouses, and yurts - this book addresses why each house is build the way that it is.

Reasons - such as blending into the landscape, confusing invaders, being able to travel with one's home, using whatever materials are at hand - are as varied as the homes themselves."

* REVIEW FROM
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
September 2011 Issue

"This intriguing exploration of homes around the world has something to offer a wide range of readers.

"Laroche’s stunningly intricate bas-relief cut-paper collages take center stage, though the text is cleverly designed to appeal to multiple audiences.

Large-font text suitable for sharing with a group appears on each spread, building on the title by inviting readers to contemplate the everyday experiences of living in 16 types of dwellings, from having to 'step outside to get from your bedroom to the kitchen' in a dogtrot log house, to being able to 'catch fish from your bedroom window' in a Chilean palafitos (house on stilts).

"Smaller-font text on each page offers additional background on the house’s location, construction, and history. . . .

"This exemplary title can inspire readers as well as educate them."

- Kathleen Kelly MacMillan,
Carroll County Public Library, Maryland

(* A starred review. "SLJ's stars signal titles that are outstanding in relation to others on the same subject or in the same genre. ")