Homes Around the World

Pat Galloway, formerly the resource librarian at the Toronto & District
Parent Co-operative Preschool Corporation, is currently with the
Scarborough Public Library.

To young children the concept of “home” is very important, conveying
the image of safety, security, love of family, and the company of
friends and playthings. Focusing on this idea of “home,” Bobbie
Kalman takes the primary reader on a global journey to homes
representing different cultures and lifestyles.

From floating homes to huts that can be packed up and moved, her clear,
concise text explains the circumstances that gave rise to the world’s
great variety of dwellings. That some children make their homes in adobe
huts to ward off the tropical sun’s rays while others live aboard
junks where space is at a premium is discussed by the author as a
natural response to different environments and conditions around the
world. Dominating the book are clear, expressive photographs that depict
the sense of home and family as a common thread linking the world’s
disparate cultures. Kalman’s accessible treatment of a theme that will
be of great interest to most children makes Homes Around the World a
valuable acquisition for the home or classroom. Highly recommended.